Word of the Day : May 27, 2019

commemorate \kuh-MEM-uh-rayt\ verb

Definition

1 : to call to remembrance

2 : to mark by some ceremony or observation : observe

3 : to serve as a memorial of

Did You Know?

When you remember something, you are mindful of it. It's appropriate, therefore, that commemorate and other related memory-associated words (including memorable, memorial, remember, and memory itself) come from the Latin root memor, meaning "mindful." Some distant older relatives are Old English gemimor ("well-known"), Greek mermēra ("care"), and Sanskrit smarati ("he remembers"). English speakers have been marking the memory of important events with commemorate since the late 16th century.

Aired May 27, 2019

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