memory
memory
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for "memory" is /ˈmɛm.ə.ri/.
Here's a breakdown of the sounds by syllable:
Mem /mɛm/:
/m/ - voiced bilabial nasal
/ɛ/ - near-open front unrounded vowel
/m/ - voiced bilabial nasal
o /ə/:
/ə/ - schwa (mid-central vowel)
ry /ri/:
/r/ - voiced alveolar approximant
/i/ - close front unrounded vowel
Word Form Variations
Singular Noun: memory
Plural Noun: memories
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition 1: The faculty of the mind by which information is encoded, stored, and retrieved. It encompasses the brain's capacity to retain and recall past experiences, knowledge, and skills.
Synonyms: recollection, remembrance, recall, retention, reminiscence
Antonyms: forgetfulness, amnesia, oblivion
Definition 2: Something remembered from the past; a particular instance of recall or a stored piece of information from one's past experiences.
Synonyms: reminiscence, souvenir, memento, flashback, recollection
Antonyms: blank, void, unremembered event
Definition 3: The capacity of a device or material to store and retrieve data, as in computing or electronics.
Synonyms: storage, data storage, archive, repository
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms for this specific technical sense, as it refers to a function rather than a state of being forgotten)
Definition 4: The period of time covered by one's ability to remember; the extent of one's conscious past.
Synonyms: living history, conscious past, recollection period
Antonyms: prehistory (in a personal sense), oblivion
Examples of Use
Books:
"The first time I read Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude, it left an indelible mark on my memory." (Example from a book review)
"He struggled to access the specific memory of the accident, the details stubbornly refusing to surface." (From a fictional narrative)
Newspapers:
"The city council approved a plan to erect a monument in memory of the fallen soldiers." ( The Daily Herald)
"Experts are studying the impact of sleep deprivation on short-term memory in adolescents." (The Guardian)
Online Publications:
"How to Improve Your Memory: Science-Backed Strategies for Better Recall" (Psychology Today)
"New research suggests that certain foods can boost brain health and cognitive memory." (Healthline)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film: "The film explores themes of inherited memory and intergenerational trauma." (Film review, Sight & Sound)
Music: "The song is a nostalgic look back at childhood, a tribute to the bittersweet memory of simpler times." (Music blog)
Video Games: "Players must navigate a complex narrative, piecing together fragmented memory to solve the mystery." (IGN)
Television: "In a dramatic twist, the amnesiac character slowly regained his memory of the past." (TV series recap)
General Public Discourse:
"I have a terrible memory for names, I always forget them right after I'm introduced."
"That old photo brings back so many good memories of our trip."
"My computer is running slow; I think I need to upgrade its memory."
"Let's raise a toast in memory of those who are no longer with us."
10 Quotes Using Memory
"No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar." (Abraham Lincoln)
"The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living." (Marcus Tullius Cicero)
"Memory... is the diary that we all carry about with us." (Oscar Wilde)
"Yesterday is but today's memory, and tomorrow is today's dream." (Kahlil Gibran)
"A good memory is one trained to forget the trivial." (Clifton Fadiman)
"There is no pain so great as the memory of joy in present grief." (Aeschylus)
"God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December." (James M. Barrie)
"Without memory, there is no culture; without memory, there would be no civilization, no society, no future." (Elie Wiesel)
"The true art of memory is the art of attention." (Samuel Johnson)
"Happiness is good health and a bad memory." (Ingrid Bergman)
Etymology
The word "memory" comes from the Latin word "memoria," which means "remembrance" or "mindfulness." This Latin word itself is related to "memor," meaning "mindful" or "remembering."
Tracing it back even further, "memoria" is thought to come from an even older root in Proto-Indo-European (the ancestor of many languages), "smer-" or "mer-", which had the basic idea of "to remember" or "to think."
So, the core idea of "remembering" or "being mindful" has been at the heart of this word's journey through languages for a very long time.
The first known use of "memory" in English appeared in the late 13th century. At that time, its primary meaning was "the faculty by which things are remembered; the power of recalling past experiences or thoughts." It also quickly came to mean "the ability to store and recall information in the mind."
Phrases + Idioms Containing Memory
Jog one's memory: To help someone remember something.
Commit to memory: To learn something so well that you can remember it perfectly.
In living memory: Within the period of time that people alive today can remember.
Have a good/bad memory: To be good or bad at remembering things.
If my memory serves me correctly/right: If I am remembering correctly.
To the best of my memory: As far as I can remember.
Memory lane: A figurative path that leads one to remember past events.
Photographic memory: The ability to remember images, sounds, or objects with extreme accuracy and in great detail.
Short-term/long-term memory: Refers to the different types of memory storage in the brain.
Memory like a sieve: To have a very poor memory.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of memory from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
