memorial

See also: mémorial

English

Etymology

From Late Latin memoriale, neuter of memorialis. By surface analysis, memory +‎ -ial.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /məˈmɔːɹi.əl/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (without the horse–hoarse merger) IPA^(key): /məˈmoʊɹi.əl/
• Rhymes: -ɔːɹiəl

Noun

Illinois Vietnam Veterans Memorial

memorial (plural memorials)

1. (obsolete) Memory; recollection. [14th–18th c.]
2. Something, such as a monument, by which someone or something is remembered. [from 14th c.]
   • 1870, Walter Arthur Copinger, “Copyright in Sculpture and Busts”, in The Law of Copyright, in Works of Literature and Art: Including that of the Drama, Music, Engraving, Sculpture, Painting, Photography and Ornamental and Useful Designs; together with International and Foreign Copyright, with the Statutes Relating thereto, and References to the English and American Decisions, London: Stevens and Haynes, →OCLC, page 181:

     These mementoes or memorials [sculptural national monuments], though in the present age the unphilosophical and sciolistic spirit of some have led them to regard with contempt this method of honouring the illustrious great, excite a laudable admiration for the service or benefit to which they testify, and are living realities to perpetuate at once the respect entertained by the nation, both for the individual himself and the performance that has entitled him to their gratitude.

   • 1953 November, H. M. Madgwick, “A Last Journey on the Chichester-Midhurst Line”, in Railway Magazine, page 775:

     Although the country branch lines may pass, they leave with those who have known them so well an ineffaceable memory[,] and for those who will follow after[,] a memorial in the form of embankment, cutting and tunnel with here and there a station building or railway cottage that time does not destroy.

3. A chronicle or memoir. [from 14th c.]
4. (now rare) A note or memorandum. [from 14th c.]
5. (chiefly Christianity) A service of remembrance or commemoration. [from 15th c.]
6. (law) A statement of facts set out in the form of a petition to a person in authority, a court or tribunal, a government, etc. [from 17th c.]
   • 1808–10, William Hickey, Memoirs of a Georgian Rake, Folio Society 1995, page 178:

     Captain Surman […] immediately addressed a memorial to the governor, stating that an act of Providence had sent him into port for the preservation of the lives of those on board; he therefore trusted he should be allowed to refit and depart.

Derived terms

• memorialize
• memorial park
• memorial pole
• memorial rose
• memorial service
• war memorial

 

Translations

structure

• Albanian: memorial m
• Arabic: نُصْب (ar) m (nuṣb), نُصْب تَذْكَارِيّ m (nuṣb taḏkāriyy)
• Armenian: հուշարձան (hy) (hušarjan), հիշատակ (hy) (hišatak)
• Belarusian: мемарыя́л m (mjemaryjál), по́мнік (be) m (pómnik), па́мятнік m (pámjatnik)
• Bulgarian: па́метник (bg) m (pámetnik), мемориа́л m (memoriál)
• Catalan: monument commemoratiu m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 紀念館 / 纪念馆 (zh) (jìniànguǎn) (memorial hall), 紀念碑 / 纪念碑 (zh) (jìniànbēi) (monument)

• Czech: památník (cs) m, pomník (cs) m
• Danish: mindesmærke n
• Dutch: herdenkingsplaats (nl) m
• Esperanto: memorejo
• Estonian: memoriaal
• Finnish: muistomerkki (fi)
• French: mémorial (fr) m
• Georgian: მემორიალი (memoriali)
• German: Denkmal (de) n, Mahnmal (de) n
• Greek: μνημείο (el) n (mnimeío)

  Ancient: μνῆμα n (mnêma), μνημεῖον n (mnēmeîon)

• Hebrew: אַנְדְּרָטָה / אַנְדַּרְטָה (he) f (andárta)
• Hindi: स्मारक (hi) m (smārak)
• Hungarian: emlékmű (hu)
• Japanese: 記念物 (ja) (きねんぶつ, kinenbutsu)
• Korean: 기념물(紀念物) (ko) (ginyeommul)
• Latin: monumentum n
• Latvian: memoriāls m
• Lithuanian: memorialas m
• Malayalam: സ്മാരകം (ml) (smārakaṁ)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: minnesmerke n

  Nynorsk: minnesmerke n

• Persian: یادواره (fa) (yâdvâre), یادبود (fa) (yâdbud)
• Plautdietsch: Denkjmol n
• Polish: miejsce pamięci (pl) n, pomnik (pl) m
• Portuguese: monumento comemorativo m
• Punjabi: ਯਾਦਗਾਰ f (yādgār), ਸਮਾਰਕ (pa) m (samārak)
• Russian: мемориа́л (ru) m (memoriál), па́мятник (ru) m (pámjatnik)
• Scottish Gaelic: cuimhneachan m
• Slovak: pamätník m, pomník m
• Slovene: spomenik (sl) m
• Spanish: monumento conmemorativo m
• Swedish: minnesmärke (sv) n
• Turkish: anıt (tr), abide (tr)
• Ukrainian: меморіа́л m (memoriál), па́м'ятник m (pámʺjatnyk)

service

• Belarusian: памі́н m (pamín), паміна́нне n (paminánnje)
• Bulgarian: по́мен (bg) m (pómen)
• Finnish: muistotilaisuus (fi)
• German: Gedenkgottesdienst (de) m
• Hungarian: megemlékezés (hu)
• Russian: поминове́ние (ru) n (pominovénije)
• Scottish Gaelic: cuimhneachan m
• Spanish: conmemoración (es) f
• Swedish: minneshögtid c, minnesgudstjänst c (religious service)
• Ukrainian: помина́ння n (pomynánnja), по́мин m (pómyn)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked‌: "service"

• Georgian: ^{(please verify)} ძეგლი (ʒegli)

Adjective

memorial (comparative more memorial, superlative most memorial)

1. Serving as a remembrance of someone or something; commemorative.

   a memorial building

   • 1725, Homer, “Book XI”, in [Alexander Pope], transl., The Odyssey of Homer. […], volume III, London: […] Bernard Lintot, →OCLC:

     There high in air, memorial of my name, / Fix the smooth oar, and bid me live to fame.

2. Contained in the memory.

   a memorial possession

3. (now rare) Mnemonic; assisting the memory.
   • 1887, Walter William Skeat, Principles of English Etymology:

     This succession of Aspirate, Soft, and Hard, may be expressed by the memorial word ASH.

Translations

serving as a remembrance

• Bulgarian: паметен (bg) (pameten)
• Catalan: commemoratiu
• Finnish: muisto-
• French: mémoriel (fr)
• German: Gedenk-
• Greek:

  Ancient: μνημονικός (mnēmonikós)

• Hebrew: זיכרון (he) m (zikarón)
• Hungarian: megemlékező (hu), emlékeztető (hu), emlék- (hu)
• Punjabi: ਯਾਦਗਾਰੀ (yādgārī)
• Spanish: conmemorativo (es)
• Swedish: minnes-
• Ukrainian: меморіа́льний (memoriálʹnyj)

Crimean Tatar

Etymology

Borrowed from Russian мемориал (memorial)

Noun

memorial

1. memorial

Declension

Declension of memorial

	singular	plural
nominative	memorial	memoriallar
genitive	memorialnıñ	memoriallarnıñ
dative	memorialğa	memoriallarğa
accusative	memorialnı	memoriallarnı
locative	memorialda	memoriallarda
ablative	memorialdan	memoriallardan

Adjective

memorial

1. memorial

References

• Mirjejev, V. A., Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajinsʹko-krymsʹkotatarsʹkyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary]‎^[1], Simferopol: Dolya, →ISBN
• “memorial”, in Luğatçıq (in Russian)

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from German Memorial or French mémorial or Latin memorialis. By surface analysis, memorie +‎ -al.

Adjective

memorial m or n (feminine singular memorială, masculine plural memoriali, feminine and neuter plural memoriale)

1. memorial

Declension

		singular				plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine		masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	memorial		memorială		memoriali	memoriale
	definite	memorialul		memoriala		memorialii	memorialele
genitive- dative	indefinite	memorial		memoriale		memoriali	memoriale
	definite	memorialului		memorialei		memorialilor	memorialelor

Noun

memorial n (plural memoriale)

1. memorial

Declension

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	memorial	memorialul		memoriale	memorialele
genitive-dative	memorial	memorialului		memoriale	memorialelor
vocative	memorialule			memorialelor

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin memoriālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /memoˈɾjal/ [me.moˈɾjal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: me‧mo‧rial

Noun

memorial m (plural memoriales)

1. memorial

Related terms

• memoria

 

Further reading

• “memorial”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10