/ ˈmeməri; NAmE / ( pl. -ies ) noun
ABILITY TO REMEMBER
1.
[ C , U ] memory (for sth) your ability to remember things :
I have a bad memory for names.
People have short memories (= they soon forget) .
He had a long memory for people who had disappointed him.
She can recite the whole poem from memory .
He suffered loss of memory for weeks after the accident.
Are you sure? Memory can play tricks on you.
2.
[ U ] the period of time that sb is able to remember events :
There hasn't been peace in the country in / within my memory .
It was the worst storm in recent memory.
This hasn't happened in living memory (= nobody alive now can remember it happening) .
STH YOU REMEMBER
3.
[ C ] a thought of sth that you remember from the past
SYN recollection :
childhood memories
I have vivid memories of my grandparents.
What is your earliest memory?
The photos bring back lots of good memories .
4.
[ U ] ( formal ) what is remembered about sb after they have died :
Her memory lives on (= we still remember her) .
COMPUTING
5.
[ C , U ] the part of a computer where information is stored; the amount of space in a computer for storing information
—see also RAM
•
IDIOMS
- if (my) memory serves me well, correctly, etc.
- in memory of sb | to the memory of sb
—more at etch , jog verb , refresh , sieve noun
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old French memorie , from Latin memoria , from memor mindful, remembering.