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Webster 1913 Edition

Memory

Mem′o-ry

,
Noun.
;
pl.
Memories
(#)
.
[OE.
memorie
, OF.
memoire
,
memorie
, F.
mémoire
, L.
memoria
, fr.
memor
mindful; cf.
mora
delay. Cf.
Demur
,
Martyr
,
Memoir
,
Remember
.]
1.
The faculty of the mind by which it retains the knowledge of previous thoughts, impressions, or events.
Memory
is the purveyor of reason.
Rambler.
2.
The reach and positiveness with which a person can remember; the strength and trustworthiness of one’s power to reach and represent or to recall the past;
as, his
memory
was never wrong
.
3.
The actual and distinct retention and recognition of past ideas in the mind; remembrance;
as, in
memory
of youth;
memories
of foreign lands.
4.
The time within which past events can be or are remembered;
as, within the
memory
of man
.
And what, before thy
memory
, was done
From the begining.
Milton.
5.
Something, or an aggregate of things, remembered; hence, character, conduct, etc., as preserved in remembrance, history, or tradition; posthumous fame;
as, the war became only a
memory
.
The
memory
of the just is blessed.
Prov. x. 7.
That ever-living man of
memory
, Henry the Fifth.
Shakespeare
The Nonconformists . . . have, as a body, always venerated her [Elizabeth's]
memory
.
Macaulay.
6.
A memorial.
[Obs.]
These weeds are
memories
of those worser hours.
Shakespeare
Syn. –
Memory
,
Remembrance
,
Recollection
,
Reminiscence
.
Memory is the generic term, denoting the power by which we reproduce past impressions. Remembrance is an exercise of that power when things occur spontaneously to our thoughts. In recollection we make a distinct effort to collect again, or call back, what we know has been formerly in the mind. Reminiscence is intermediate between remembrance and recollection, being a conscious process of recalling past occurrences, but without that full and varied reference to particular things which characterizes recollection. “When an idea again recurs without the operation of the like object on the external sensory, it is remembrance; if it be sought after by the mind, and with pain and endeavor found, and brought again into view, it is recollection.”
Locke.
To draw to memory
,
to put on record; to record.
[Obs.]
Chaucer. Gower.

Webster 1828 Edition

Memory

MEM'ORY

,
Noun.
[L. memoria; Gr. to remember, from mind, or the same root. See Mind.]
1.
The faculty of the mind by which it retains the knowledge of past events, or ideas which are past. A distinction is made between memory and recollection. Memory retains past ideas without any, or with little effort; recollection implies an effort to recall ideas that are past.
Memory is the purveyor of reason.
2.
A retaining of past ideas in the mind; remembrance. Events that excite little attention are apt to escape from memory.
3.
Exemption from oblivion.
That ever-living man of memory,
Henry the fifth.
4.
The time within which past events can be remembered or recollected, or the time within which a person may have knowledge of what is past. The revolution in England was before my memory; the revolution in America was within the author's memory.
5.
Memorial; monumental record; that which calls to remembrance. A monument in London was erected in memory of the conflagration in 1666.
6.
Reflection; attention.

MEM'ORY

,
Verb.
T.
To lay up in the mind or memory. [Not used.]

Definition 2024

memory

memory

English

Alternative forms

Noun

memory ‎(countable and uncountable, plural memories)

  1. (uncountable) The ability of a system to record information about things or events with the facility of recalling them later at will.
    Memory is a facility common to all animals.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Albert Schweitzer
      Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory.
  2. A record of a thing or an event stored and available for later use by the organism.
    I have no memory of that event.
  3. (computing) The part of a computer that stores variable executable code or data (RAM) or unalterable executable code or default data (ROM).
    This data passes from the CPU to the memory.
  4. The time within which past events can be or are remembered.
    in recent memory; in living memory
  5. (attributive, of a material) which returns to its original shape when heated
    Memory metal; memory plastic.‎
  6. (obsolete) A memorial.
    • Shakespeare
      These weeds are memories of those worser hours.

Synonyms

Hyponyms

Related terms

Translations

See also

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: Greek · island · special · #935: memory · proved · plan · pain

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman memorie, Old French memoire etc., from Latin memoria ‎(“the faculty of remembering, remembrance, memory, a historical account”), from memor ‎(“mindful, remembering”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mer- (to remember), related to Ancient Greek μνήμη ‎(mnḗmē, “memory”) μέρμερος ‎(mérmeros, “anxious”), μέριμνα ‎(mérimna, “care, thought”), Old English mimor ‎(“mindful, remembering”). More at mimmer.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈmɛməɹi/, /ˈmɛm(ə)ri/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈmɛm(ə)ɹi/

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