memorandum

Etymology

It is borrowed from Medieval Latin memorandum, used in British sources from the 13th century to introduce a note, short for memorandum est (“it is to be remembered”).^[2] It is the neuter singular of classical Latin memorandus (“to be remembered, noteworthy”),^[2][3][4][5] the gerundive of memorō (“to bring to mind, mention”),^[2][3][6][4] from memor (“mindful”),^[3][7][6] from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mer- (“to remember”).^[3][6] Anglo-Norman also used memorandum (1390–1412), and French mémorandum is recorded from 1777, in the diplomatic sense.^[2] Klein and Weekley compare other gerundives taken from Latin into English, such as agenda and propaganda.^[8][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

Placed at the head of a note: "it is to be remembered (that)", in records of the York Mercers dated 1394–1435;^[2] Barnhart dates the word probably to 1435,^[4] and Etymonline to the mid-15th century.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The word was first used as plain Latin, often shortened to mem., to head a note of something to be done or remembered,^[3][4] much as N.B. is used, as Weekley puts it.^[9] It then came to mean the note itself: the OED's first record is about 1490, in the Cely papers,^[2] while Barnhart dates this sense to 1542–43 and Etymonline to the 1540s.^[4][3] Cockeram's dictionary of 1623 explained it as a term used when writing anything one would not forget,^[3] and Johnson (1755) defined it as a note to help the memory.^[10] Special uses followed: a record of a financial transaction (1583), the legal document setting out the terms of a contract (1591), an informal diplomatic note stating a government's view (1650), and the office message headed "Memorandum", without the formulas of a letter (1899).^[2] In Scotland it also meant a memento or a memorial inscription.^[2][11] The verb, to make a memorandum of, is recorded from 1789.^[2]

Timeline

• 1394–1435 – heading a note, "it is to be remembered (that)"; later only in law.^[2]
• c. 1490 – a note to help the memory.^[2]
• 1583 – a record of a financial transaction; a reminder or memento.^[2]
• 1591 – in law, the document setting out the terms of a contract.^[2]
• 1650 – an informal diplomatic note.^[2]
• 1789 – verb, to make a memorandum of.^[2]
• 1813 – first record of the plural memoranda, according to Barnhart.^[4]
• 1899 – an office message headed "Memorandum".^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A written message sent within an organization or office, without the formalities of a letter; a memo: The manager sent a memorandum about the new parking rules.^[12][2]
2. A note of something to be remembered; a record kept for later use.^[12][5][2]
3. An informal diplomatic communication, often unsigned, setting out a government's view.^[12][2]
4. (law) A short written statement of the terms of a transaction or contract.^[12][5][2]
5. A memento or reminder; in Scotland, a souvenir.^[5][2]

Verb

1. To make a memorandum of.^[5][2]

Word family

• memo

Related words

• memoir
• memorial
• memory
• memorable
• remember
• agenda

Usage notes

The usual plural until the 19th century was memorandums, according to Barnhart, who dates memoranda from 1813;^[4] the OED records memoranda already in late Middle English and memorandums as frequent from the 16th century.^[2] Many British style guides prefer memoranda, which is the more frequent plural in current British writing, while American guides often recommend memorandums.^[2] In everyday use the word is often shortened to memo.^[12]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
5. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
7. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
9. ^ a b Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
10. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
11. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)
12. ^ a b c d e Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins