memento

Definition

A keepsake; an object kept as a reminder of a place or event.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin mementō (“remember”), imperative form of meminī (“I remember”).

Example Sentences

• "I kept the shell as a memento of my visit to the seashore."
• "In conclusion, I would remark that the great railway stations of London deserve to be visited every whit as much as St. Paul's Cathedral, the Abbey, or the Tower, and they are as worthy a memento of this century as those buildings are of the days that are gone."
• "Many hospitals have not taken simple steps to lessen the distress and confusion which dementia sufferers' often feel on being somewhere so unfamiliar – such as making signs large and easy to read, using colour schemes to help patients find their way around unfamiliar wards and not putting family mementoes such as photographs nearby."