Etymologically
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memorandum

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Pronunciation

  • /ˌmɛm.əˈɹæn.dəm/[1]

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

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