Etymologically
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memoro

Etymology and origin of the Latin word memoro

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Latin (memor)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈmɛ.mɔ.roː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈmɛː.mo.ro][1]

Forms

memorō (present infinitive memorāre, perfect active memorāvī, supine memorātum); first conjugation[1] Plautus has the archaic passive infinitive memorārier.[2]

Etymology

It is from memor “mindful” with the verb suffix -ō.[3][1][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Plautus, of speaking about something.[3] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to say, utter; to speak of, mention, as in Plautus and Cicero; to tell, relate, narrate; and to remind of, recall, as in Sallust.[3][6] Lewis & Short add “to bring to remembrance”.[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to remember, recall, relate.[7] It survives in Italian memorare, and in Portuguese lembrar and Spanish membrar “to remember”.[1]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.[3][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of mentioning.[6][5]
  • 86–34 BC – Sallust uses it of reminding.[3][5]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To say, speak of, mention.[3]
  2. To tell, relate, narrate.[3]
  3. To remind of, recall.[3][7]

Word family

  • commemorō
  • memorābilis
  • memorāculum
  • memorālius
  • memorātiō
  • memorātor
  • memorātrīx
  • memorātus

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
Cite this entry

“Memoro.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/memoro. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·