memoria

Forms

memoria f (plural memorias)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin memoria (“memory, remembrance”), taken over by the learned route in Old Spanish.^[2][1][3] Corominas places it among the learned words of the family of remembrar, and dates it to the first half of the 13th century.^[3] Autoridades still called it “a purely Latin word”.^[4] The same Latin word is Portuguese memória, Catalan memòria, French mémoire, Italian memoria and Romanian memorie.^[5][1]

The Latin noun is formed on memor (“mindful, remembering”) with the suffix -ia.^[1][6] Wiktionary reports two views of the adjective: a reduplicated form of *(s)mer- (“to think, remember”), or of *men- (“to think”).^[1] Gómez de Silva gives the first.^[7] Segura Munguía connects it with mēns (“mind”) and meminī (“to remember”).^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The CDH has the Spanish word first in a testament of the 13th century: Este ye testamiento que faz don Lorienzo en sua memoria & en so acordamiento “This is the testament that Don Lorenzo makes in his memory and his right mind”.^[9] In Berceo, before 1246, Christ commanded the Mass to be held en su memoria “in his memory”, and in the Vida de San Millán toda su memoria means all one's thoughts.^[9]

Semantic evolution

Alfonso X's Lapidario already uses bona memoria of the faculty that retains what one learns.^[10] In charters memoria was also a written record or list, as in the Latin hec est memoria de los cotos of the Fuero de Alcalá.^[9] Covarrubias in 1611 noted further senses: a pious foundation such as a hospital that keeps the founder's name alive, and memorias, two rings worn together on the finger as a reminder.^[11] The Diccionario de Autoridades defined it as one of the three powers of the soul, seated in the third ventricle of the brain.^[4] The 1884 Academy dictionary lists fame, a monument, a pious work and an account of expenses.^[12] In computing it is now the device in which data are stored.^[2][1] In Mexico memoria de teflón is a poor memory.^[13]

Timeline

• c. 950–1000 – the DEMel lists memoria among the words of the Glosas Silenses.^[14]
• 1220–1250 – the BDELC's first date.^[3]
• 1228–1246 – en su memoria in Berceo's Sacrificio de la misa.^[9]
• 1250–1279 – Alfonso X's Lapidario uses it of the faculty of the mind.^[10]
• 1495 – the derivative desmemoriado is recorded.^[3]
• 1525 – first record from the Americas, in Panama.^[15]
• 1611 – Covarrubias records buenas memorias, pious foundations.^[11]
• 1734 – the Diccionario de Autoridades calls it one of the three powers of the soul.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. The ability to remember; memory: Tiene una memoria prodigiosa para las fechas.^[2][1]
2. A remembrance or reminder of something past.^[2][1]
3. A written account of facts, data or reasons on a subject; a report.^[2][1]
4. A study or written dissertation on a subject.^[2]
5. An account of expenses, or an informal inventory.^[2]
6. A monument that recalls someone or something.^[2]
7. A pious foundation or anniversary that keeps the founder's memory alive.^[2][11]
8. (computing) The device in which data and instructions are stored.^[2][1]
9. (in the plural) memoirs, an account of the writer's own life.^[2]
10. (in the plural) Regards sent through another person or by letter.^[2]

Word family

• memorión
• memorioso
• memorista
• memorístico
• memorial
• desmemoriado
• inmemorial

Related words

• desmemoria
• recuerdo
• remembrar
• memorable
• conmemorar
• Latin memor

Usage notes

Set phrases include de memoria “from memory alone”, hacer memoria “to try to remember” and memoria de elefante “a memory like an elephant's”.^[2]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Real Academia Española; Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (2014–), Diccionario de la lengua española, 23rd ed., online version 23.8, https://dle.rae.es, p. s.v. memoria
3. ^ a b c d Corominas, Joan (1973), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. remembrar
4. ^ a b c Real Academia Española (1726–1739), Diccionario de la lengua castellana (Diccionario de Autoridades), 6 vols., Madrid: Francisco del Hierro, p. 4, 537
5. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. memoria
6. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. memor
7. ^ Gómez de Silva, Guido (1988), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua española, México: Fondo de Cultura Económica / El Colegio de México, p. s.v. memoria
8. ^ Segura Munguía, Santiago (2001), Nuevo diccionario etimológico latín-español y de las voces derivadas, Bilbao: Universidad de Deusto, p. 455
9. ^ a b c d Real Academia Española (2013–), Corpus del Diccionario histórico de la lengua española (CDH), version 3.1, https://apps.rae.es/CNDHE, p. s.v. memoria
10. ^ a b Kasten, Lloyd A.; Nitti, John J.; Gago Jover, Francisco (2002–), Diccionario de la prosa castellana del Rey Alfonso X, New York: Hispanic Seminary of Medieval Studies (electronic edition 2024), p. s.v. memoria
11. ^ a b c Covarrubias Orozco, Sebastián de (1611), Tesoro de la lengua castellana o española, Madrid: Luis Sánchez (Biblioteca Wordkers transcription, CC BY 4.0), p. 1128
12. ^ Real Academia Española (1884), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 12th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de D. Gregorio Hernando (the first Academy edition with etymologies), p. 693
13. ^ Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (2010), Diccionario de americanismos, Lima: Santillana; online at https://www.asale.org/damer, p. s.v. memoria
14. ^ Diccionario del Español Medieval electrónico (DEMel), data publication 2026 (CC BY-SA), Universität Rostock, p. s.v. memoria
15. ^ Boyd-Bowman, Peter (2003), Léxico hispanoamericano 1493–1993, ed. Ray Harris-Northall and John J. Nitti, New York: Hispanic Seminary of Medieval Studies, p. s.v. memoria