/meuh men"toh/ , n. , pl. mementos, mementoes .
1. an object or item that serves to remind one of a person, past event, etc.; keepsake; souvenir.
2. anything serving as a reminder or warning.
3. ( cap., italics ) Rom. Cath. Ch. either of two prayers in the canon of the Mass, one for persons living and the other for persons dead.
[ 1350-1400; ME memento, impv. of meminisse to remember ]
Usage . MEMENTO is sometimes spelled MOMENTO, perhaps by association with moment. The word is actually related to remember. One of its earliest meanings was "something that serves to warn." The meaning "souvenir" is a recent development: The stone animal carvings are mementos of our trip to Victoria. MOMENTO is considered by many to be a misspelling, but it occurs so frequently in edited writing that some regard it as a variant spelling rather than an error.