Memory
/ˈmɛm.ə.ri/noun
The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information.
Did you know?The word 'memory' is rooted in the name of the Greek goddess Mnemosyne, who was believed to hold the key to remembering past lives!
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*men-
“to think, to remember”
Ancient Greek
Greek
μνῆμα (mnēma)
“a remembrance, memory”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Μνημοσύνη (Mnēmosynē)
“the goddess of memory, personification of remembrance”
Latin
Latin
memoria
“the act of remembering, memory”
Old French
Old French
memorie
“memory, recollection”
Middle English
Middle English
memorie
“the faculty of remembering, memory”
Modern English
English
memory
“the mental faculty of retaining and recalling past experiences”