memoriam

Meanings

1. 1nounsingularformal

   A Latin word meaning remembrance, found almost only in the phrase 'in memoriam', which introduces a tribute to a dead person.

   Grammar: Used only in the fixed phrase 'in memoriam', never alone with 'a' or 'the'.

   Patterns

   • in memoriam

   The newspaper ran a page in memoriam after the president's death.

   A plaque reading 'In memoriam' hung beside the bench.

   The concert was held in memoriam of the lost sailors.

2. 2phrasefixed phraseformal

   In memoriam: written or said as a tribute in honor of someone who has died.

   Grammar: Often placed before a name on a monument or in a program: 'In memoriam: Anna Cole'.

   Patterns

   • in memoriam [name]
   • in memoriam to someone

   The program for the service was headed 'In memoriam'.

   He wrote a poem in memoriam for his teacher.

   Flowers were laid in memoriam at the gate.

Common combinations

in memoriam notice

The family placed an in memoriam notice in the paper.

in memoriam page

The school website has an in memoriam page for former staff.

in memoriam poem

She read an in memoriam poem at the ceremony.

dedicated in memoriam

The garden was dedicated in memoriam to the nurses.

Synonyms and how they differ

memorial

Memorial is an everyday word that can mean a statue or a service, whereas in memoriam is a formal label of remembrance.

tribute

Tribute is any expression of respect, living or dead, while in memoriam applies only to someone who has died.

obituary

An obituary is a news report of a death with a short life story, whereas in memoriam is a personal tribute.

Word family

memorial noun

something that honors the memory of a person or event

memory noun

the ability to remember, or something remembered

memorialize verb

to honor someone's memory with a ceremony or monument

commemorate verb

to mark an event or person with a special act of respect

Commonly confused: memoriam or memorandum?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “memoriam”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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