Definition: Memory
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman memorie, Old French memoire etc., from Latin memoria (the faculty of remembering, remembrance, memory, a historical account), from memor (mindful, remembering), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mer- (to remember), related to Ancient Greek μνήμη or mnḗmē (memory), μέρμερος or mérmeros (anxious), μέριμνα or mérimna (care, thought), Old English mimor (mindful, remembering). Doublet of memoir and memoria. Displaced native Old English ġemynd.
Noun
memory (countable and uncountable, plural memories)
- The ability of the brain to record information or impressions with the facility of recalling them later at will.
- Memory is a facility common to all animals.
- A record of a thing or an event stored and available for later use by the organism.
- I have no memory of that event.
- (computing) The part of a computer that stores variable executable code or data (RAM) or unalterable executable code or default data (ROM).
- The time within which past events can be or are remembered.
- in living memory
- A material which returns to its original shape when heated, such as memory foam.
- The Concentration game, also known as pelmanism.
Derived terms
- base memory
- bubble memory
- collective memory
- constructive memory
- dynamic memory
- expanded memory
- extended memory
- false memory
- flash memory
- folk memory
- long memory
- long-term memory
- memory cartridge
- memory cell
- memory chip
- memory leak
- memory metal
- memory span
- memory stick
- photographic memory
- random access memory
- read only memory
- recent memory
- selective memory
- semantic memory
- virtual memory
- volatile memory
- write-only memory
Related terms
- memo
- memoir
- memorable
- memorandum
- memorial
- memorize
Credits
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