Memorable

How to spell memorable

9 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce memorable

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does memorable mean?

1. adjectiveWorth remembering or easily recalled because of being special, striking, or significant.

Memorable in a sentence

• The wedding was a memorable day that the whole family still talks about.

• The chef created a truly memorable meal for their anniversary dinner.

Where does memorable come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word descends from the Latin memorabilis, meaning 'worthy of being remembered', which was formed from the verb memorare, 'to bring to mind' or 'to recount'. At the heart of all this sits memor, an adjective meaning 'mindful' or 'remembering', the same root that gives us memory, memorial, and commemorate. English adopted memorable in the fifteenth century, partly through French and partly straight from the Latin, keeping the original sense of something deserving to be kept in mind. The spelling preserves the unstressed middle, memor-, which is exactly where writers stumble, since the second syllable is a faint schwa that can tempt people toward 'memerable' or 'memorible'. Holding on to the visible link with memory is the surest way to keep the vowels in the right order.

How the word is built

• memor- (from Latin memor: mindful, remembering)
• -able (worthy of, capable of)