I. mə̇ˈmōrēəl, -mȯr- adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin memorialis, from memoria memory + -alis -al — more at memory
1. : serving to preserve remembrance : commemorative
a memorial building
a memorial sketch
a memorial showing of an artist's work
2. : of or relating to memory : utilizing, caused by, or done from memory
the scene had been gotten by shorthand or memorial method — C.A.Greer
the bad quarto … is a memorial reconstruction — Leo Kirschbaum
memorial contamination of a manuscript
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin memoriale, from Latin, neuter of memorialis, adjective
1. obsolete : memory , remembrance , recollection
2.
a.
(1) : something that serves to preserve memory or knowledge of an individual or event : relic , trace
the form in which he expresses his emotion bears no memorial of any external form that may have provoked it — Clive Bell
a memorial of those stormy feuds … is the thick oak door with its square hole — Brian Fitzgerald
their bones remain … as memorials of a noble attempt — W.E.Swinton
(2) : something that is kept to preserve the memory of a person or event : keepsake , memento
carved walking stick, umbrella and best black hat still remained, sacred memorials — Rex Ingamells
revive the liking for wearing memorials of the dead — Joan Evans
(3) : something designed to commemorate or preserve the memory of a person or event
his two-volume memorial to his father … was published — Current Biography
to visit this memorial to a former slave is a rewarding experience — Oscar Schisgall
Walker Memorial is the student center — Visitor's Guide to Massachusetts Institute of Tech.
the mound … should be regarded as a memorial rather than an interment — F.M.Stanton
the state's history is well recorded in 17 historic memorials — Melvin Beck
b. : commemoration 2
3.
a. : record , memoir
the text of the memorial that accompanied the map — Marjorie S. Douglas
b. : memorandum , note
present a long memorial to the emperor — Times Literary Supplement
specifically : a legal abstract
c.
(1) : a statement of facts addressed to a government or some branch of it often accompanied with a petition or remonstrance
submitted a memorial to Congress — Joseph Dorfman
also : a similar statement presented to a nongovernmental body
(2) : a pleading before the Permanent Court of International Justice in which a case is set forth including facts, law, and submissions
III. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: memorialize