memory

memory
memory (n.) mid-13c., "recollection (of someone or something); awareness, consciousness," also "fame, renown, reputation," from Anglo-Fr. memorie (O.Fr. memoire, 11c., "mind, memory, remembrance; memorial, record") and directly from L. memoria "memory, remembrance, faculty of remembering," noun of quality from memor "mindful, remembering," from PIE root * (s)mer- "to remember" (Skt. smarati "remembers," Avestan mimara "mindful;" Gk. merimna "care, thought," mermeros "causing anxiety, mischievous, baneful;" Serbo-Croatian mariti "to care for;" Welsh marth "sadness, anxiety;" O.N. Mimir, name of the giant who guards the Well of Wisdom; O.E. gemimor "known," murnan "mourn, remember sorrowfully;" Du. mijmeren "to ponder"). Meaning "faculty of remembering" is late 14c. in English.
I am grown old and my memory is not as active as it used to be. When I was younger I could remember anything, whether it had happened or not; but my faculties are decaying now and soon I shall be so I cannot remember any but the things that never happened. It is sad to go to pieces like this, but we all have to do it. [Mark Twain, "Autobiography"]
Computer sense, "device which stores information," is from 1946. Related: Memories.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Memory — • Memory is the capability of the mind, to store up conscious processes, and reproduce them later with some degree of fidelity Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Memory     Memory    …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • memory — mem‧o‧ry [ˈmemri] noun [uncountable] COMPUTING the part of a computer in which information is stored: • Storing and retrieving video images requires vast amounts of computer memory. • a machine with 4 gigabytes of memory • Both companies have… …   Financial and business terms

  • Memory — Mem o*ry, n.; pl. {Memories}. [OE. memorie, OF. memoire, memorie, F. m[ e]moire, L. memoria, fr. memor mindful; cf. mora delay. Cf. {Demur}, {Martyr}, {Memoir}, {Remember}.] [1913 Webster] 1. The faculty of the mind by which it retains the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • memory — memory, remembrance, recollection, reminiscence, mind, souvenir are comparable though not wholly synonymous terms since all involve the ideas of remembering and of being remembered. Memory applies chiefly to the power or function of remembering… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • memory — [mem′ə rē, mem′rē] n. pl. memories [ME memorie < OFr < L memoria < memor, mindful, remembering < IE * mimoro , redupl. of base * (s)mer , to remember, recall > MERIT] 1. the power, act, or process of recalling to mind facts… …   English World dictionary

  • memory — ► NOUN (pl. memories) 1) the faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information. 2) a person or thing remembered. 3) the length of time over which people s memory extends. 4) a computer s equipment or capacity for storing data or program… …   English terms dictionary

  • memory — [n1] ability to hold in the mind anamnesis, awareness, camera eye*, cognizance, consciousness, dead eye*, flashback, memorization, mind, mindfulness, mind’s eye*, recall, recapture, recognition, recollection, reflection, remembrance, reminiscence …   New thesaurus

  • memory — I (commemoration) noun celebration, remembrance, writing II (retention) noun mind, recalling, recollection, reflection III index hindsight, recognition …   Law dictionary

  • Memory — For other uses, see Memory (disambiguation). Neuropsychology Topics …   Wikipedia

  • memory — /mem euh ree/, n., pl. memories. 1. the mental capacity or faculty of retaining and reviving facts, events, impressions, etc., or of recalling or recognizing previous experiences. 2. this faculty as possessed by a particular individual: to have a …   Universalium

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