LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
English → Latin

“remember” in Latin

The English word remember itself goes back to Latin memor, through rememorari.

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

remember
meminisse: commeminisse: reminisci, recordari (with this difference, that meminisse, μεμνῆσθαι, is, to know anything without having forgotten it; reminisci, ἀναμιμνήσκειν, to remember a thing which had escaped the memory; recordari, ἐνθυμεῖσθαι, to call anything up in one’s mind, and to dwell upon it. ☞ Meminisse and recordari are followed by a genitive, an accusative or by de; reminisci only by a genitive or accusative: meminisse generally takes the infinitive of the present, the speaker placing himself as it were at the time of the occurrence, and describing it as going on; the perfect, however, is also found, when a fact is to be represented as completed, or simply a result stated. Thus, meministis me ita initio distribuisse tausam, Cic., Rosc., Am., 42, they were to remember, not how he distributed it, but the simple fact that he did so distribute it. The present is, however, the prevailing usage; ☞ Krüger, 473, OBS. 3; Haase ad Reisig., OBS. 452). (The words are found in this connection and order.) reminisci et recordari: memoria tenere (to bear in mind; e.g., plures turres de caelo esse percussas, Cic.). To remember anything, memoriam alicujus rei tenere or habere; memorem or haud immemorem esse alicujus rei (= meminisse); memoriam alicujus rei repetere, revocare, renovare, redintegrare: memoria repetere aliquid (☞ Cic. rarely says simply repetere aliquid); subit animum alicujus rei memoria; res mihi redit in memoriam; venit mihi in mentem res, alicujus rei, de re (all = reminisci). I cannot remember a thing, memoria aliquid excessit, delapsum est; e memoria aliquid mihi exiit, excidit; ex animo aliquid effluxit; fugit or refugit aliquid meam memoriam: not to desire to remember a thing (purposely), nullam alicujus rei adhibere memoriam (Nep., Epam., 7, 2). To remember well, very well, bene, praeclare meminisse: to remember a person or thing with gratitude, grato animo alicujus nomen prosequi; gratissimam alicujus memoriam retinere; grata memoria prosequi aliquid: to remember with affection and kindness, memoriam alicujus cum caritate et benevolentia usurpare: to remember anything with pleasure, recordatione alicujus rei frui (Cic., Lael., 4, 15). I will always remember a person or thing, numquam ex animo alicujus or alicujus rei discedet memoria; alicujus or alicujus rei memoriam nulla umquam delebit oblivio; semper memoria alicujus rei meis erit infixa mentibus: I remember having read, memini me legere: as far as I remember, ut mea memoria est; quantum memini; nisi animus or memoria me fallit.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for remember?
The usual Latin words for “remember” are meminī, commeminī, reminīscor; also recordor. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.