remembrance

remembrance 1 *memory, recollection, reminiscence, mind, souvenir

Antonyms: forgetfulness

2 Remembrance, remembrancer, reminder, memorial, memento, token, keepsake, souvenir denote something that serves to keep a person or thing in mind.

Remembrance and the less common remembrancer are applied to an object which causes one to call back to mind someone or something, especially someone dead or far away or an event or occurrence of the past, often the distant past

{

I desire your acceptance of a ring, a small remembrance of my father— Swift

}

{

every article she possessed ... is separately bequeathed as an affectionate remembrance— Ellis

}

{

the apricot scent of the gorse, which was ever afterwards to be the remembrancer of their love— Kaye-Smith

}

Reminder suggests something (as a memorandum) that keeps one from forgetting; the term need not suggest a wish to remember

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occasional sawmills, reminders of the once-active lumber industry— Amer. Guide Series: Me.

}

Memorial suggests a wish or desire to preserve the memory of something (as a person or event) and therefore applies to a reminder (as a building, a monument, an endowment, or an observance) that is of a kind fitted to endure

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the Lincoln Memorial in Washington

}

{

the memorials of the rule of the Pharaohs are still engraved on the rocks of Libya— Newman

}

{

it was the white man's way to assert himself in any landscape ... to leave some mark or memorial of his sojourn— Cather

}

The remaining words more consistently suggest a personal association between the thing intended as a remembrance or reminder and the person, experience, or place to be remembered.

Memento typically applies to something small or trivial kept to satisfy a desire to renew the remembrance of some past interest; often the word suggests that the thing itself has no longer any value

{

the drawer was filled with mementos of her girlhood —dance programs, love letters, a glove

}

Token often refers to something treasured as a memento, but it usually denotes a gift presented to one as a sign of affection, esteem, or regret at parting

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a handkerchief, an antique token my father gave my mother— Shak.

}

{

I leave in every house some little token, a rosary or a religious picture— Cather

}

Keepsake represents the attitude of the receiver rather than of the giver; otherwise it differs little in general use from token and memento

{

perhaps the strongest keepsake is a slice of her .. . wedding cake— Green Peyton

}

But keepsake may apply specifically to a giftbook, often one made up for a particular group or occasion or as a specimen of fine printing.

Souvenir (see also MEMORY) usually implies a material reminder not necessarily given nor received that remains or is kept as a memento (as of a place visited or of an experience worthy of remembrance)

{

pockmarks in the masonry . . . are souvenirs of the bomb that exploded there— John Brooks

}

Analogous words: *gift, present, favor