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reminder

Etymology and origin of the English word reminder

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1653
Ultimate origins
English (re-,-er)Old English (gemynd)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English mind
English remind
English reminder

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɹɪˈmaɪndə(ɹ)/ (UK); /ɹɪˈmaɪndəɹ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English remind + -er.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Something which reminds, a mention to make one remember: 1653 in the OED, the 1650s in Etymonline.[4][2]

Semantic evolution

A 17th-century writer also had remindless, forgetful.[2] In pathology the plural was used for secondary symptoms of syphilis in 1897.[4] A note to remind a person of something not done is a common modern sense.[5]

Timeline

  • 1653 – something that reminds.[4]
  • 1897 – in pathology.[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Something that makes one remember or recall the past.
  2. A note to remind a person of something not yet done.

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Reminder.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/reminder. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·