damnatio memoriae

English

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from New Latin damnātiō memoriae (literally “condemnation of memory”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /damˌnɑːtɪ.əʊ mɪˈmɔːrɪ.aɪ/, /damˌneɪʃ(ɪ)əʊ mɪˈmɔːrɪ.iː/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /dæmˌnɑti.oʊ məˈmɔri.aɪ/, /dæmˌneɪʃ(i)oʊ məˈmɔri.i/

Noun

damnatio memoriae (uncountable)

1. (historical, Ancient Rome) A posthumous punishment for traitors etc. by which they were effectively erased from history by having their works undone and any mention of their name forbidden.

   Synonym: (uncommon) damnation of memory

Usage notes

• While the practice is well attested from Antiquity, the term itself is an early modern invention. It is not known whether the Romans had a specific term for this punishment.

Translations

type of punishment

• Finnish: damnatio memoriae, muiston kiroaminen
• French: damnatio memoriae (fr) f
• Italian: damnatio memoriae (it) f
• Korean: 기록말살형 (girongmalsalhyeong) (記錄抹殺刑)
• Latin: damnātiō memoriae f (New Latin)
• Portuguese: damnatio memoriae f