memento mo·ri

(môr′ē)

n. pl. memento mori

1. A reminder of death or mortality, especially a death's-head.

2. A reminder of human failures or errors.

[New Latin mementō morī, be mindful of dying : Latin mementō, sing. imperative of meminisse, to remember + Latin morī, to die.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

memento mori

(ˈmɔːriː)

(Literary & Literary Critical Terms) an object, such as a skull, intended to remind people of the inevitability of death

[C16: Latin: remember you must die]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

memen′to mo′ri

(ˈmɔr aɪ, ˈmoʊr aɪ, ˈmɔr i, ˈmoʊr i)

n., pl. memento mori.

an object, as a skull, serving as a reminder of death.

[1585–95; < Latin mementō morī remember (that you must) die]

memento mori

A Latin phrase meaning remember you must die, used to mean an object that reminds you of your mortality, such as a skull.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

memento mori - a reminder (as a death's head) of your mortality

reminder - an experience that causes you to remember something

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

Even in living, we are constantly reminded of the way in which a memento mori might nudge us, through the image of a still life, perhaps with a "pear with worm in it," or "a man with a pansy and a skull." Beyond this, though, Linger, Still finds its true beauty in the "O, heart--" poems.

LINGER, STILL

Remember Your Death: Memento Mori Lenten Devotional

From My Palette to Memento Mori, his creativity with cut out steel is proudly hoisted on the walls of Le Cirque.

Guests Can Experience the 'Art' of Dining at Le Cirque at the Ritz-Carlton, Dubai International Financial Centre

Paul Sister Theresa Aletheia Noble, author of Remember Your Death: A Memento Mori Lenten Devotional, started keeping a skull on her desk a couple of years ago.

Facing death: Remembering mortality is a dusty practice worth reviving

Moreover, although just one novel (such as Memento Mori or Prime) suffices to acknowledge the brilliance or Spark's art, others offer a richer signification within the context oi the author's aesthetic development.

The Reception of Muriel Spark in Spain

For Muslims, graveyards are austere places full of memento mori and intense reminders to contemplate and prepare for the afterlife.

Kuwait bans filming inside cemeteries

The Memento Mori collection features a range of watercolours, drawings, prints and photographs depicting historic tombs and memorials across the region, and curators at the museum say the unique nature of the art has already attracted thousands of visitors.

Memorial art exhibition nears end

SPECTRAL in that black gown, he haunted the rip-roaring young like a memento mori; flapped back to shore.

MORNING SERIAL

The Adventures of Memento Mori. Creator and host, D.S.

Podcasts

Memento mori - It means 'Remember that you must die.' It sounds scary, I know, but here's how one Roman Stoic philosopher put it in practical terms:

Reflections: Always thinking I'm on my last days

Bennett-Carpenter introduces and provides context for the phenomenon of memento mori, its features, and its functions, with special attention to how it is referenced by documentary films.

Death in Documentaries: The Momento Mori Experience