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reminiscent

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Etymology and origin of the English word reminiscent

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1699 Thomas Burnet
Borrowed from
Latin reminiscens
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European *men-

Pronunciation

  • /ˌɹɛməˈnɪsnt/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin reminīscēns (“remembering”), the present participle of reminīscor (“to recall to mind, recollect”),[2][3][4][5] formed from re- (“again”) and a verb related to mēns (“mind”) and meminī (“to remember”).[6][4][5] The root is Proto-Indo-European *men- (“to think”),[4][3][6] also the source of mind;[2][6] the OED compares Lithuanian minti (“to remember, commemorate”).[2] The noun reminiscence is older, recorded from 1589.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Relating to or characterized by reminiscence: 1699, in Thomas Burnet.[2] Etymonline dates it to 1705,[4] Merriam-Webster to 1765,[5] and the Shorter Oxford to the mid-18th century.[7]

Semantic evolution

At first the adjective described a person or mood given to recalling the past; writing that consisted of reminiscences followed in 1828.[2] The sense "evoking the memory of something; reminding one of something else", now the usual one, is recorded from 1831 in the OED[2] and by 1880 in Etymonline.[4] A sense "having a recollection of something" was used from 1830 to 1856.[2] The noun, a person who tells or writes reminiscences, is recorded from 1822.[2][5]

Timeline

  • 1699 – relating to reminiscence; given to reminiscing.[2]
  • 1705 – Etymonline's first date.[4]
  • 1765 – Merriam-Webster's first date.[5]
  • 1822 – noun, a writer of reminiscences.[2]
  • 1828 – consisting of reminiscences.[2]
  • 1831 – that reminds one of something else.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Tending to remind one of something else; suggestive (usually with of): The sauce had a taste reminiscent of roasted chestnuts.[5][8][2]
  2. Characterized by or given to reminiscence: Her grandfather grew reminiscent over dinner.[8][7][2]
  3. Consisting of memories of the past.[2]

Noun

  1. A person who tells or writes reminiscences.[5][2]

Word family

  • reminiscently
  • unreminiscent

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 Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  4. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  7. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Reminiscent.” Etymologically, 26 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/reminiscent. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·