memento mori

English

Etymology

From Latin mementō morī (literally “be mindful of dying”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /məˈmɛntoʊ ˈmɔːɹi/

Noun

memento mori

1. An emblematic object or personal ornament, such as a skull, used as a reminder of one's mortality.
   • 1995, Richard Klein, “Introduction”, in Cigarettes are sublime, Paperback edition, Durham: Duke University Press, published 1993, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 8:

     The series of moments [which] the clock records is not only a succession of “nows” but a memento mori diminishing the number of seconds that remain before death.

Translations

memento mori

• Danish: memento mori
• Dutch: gedenk te sterven
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: помни о смерти (pomni o smerti)

Further reading

• memento mori on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

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Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin mementō morī.

Noun

memento mori n

1. memento mori (reminder of mortality)

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Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /meˈmen.toː ˈmo.riː/, [mɛˈmɛn̪t̪oː ˈmɔriː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /meˈmen.to ˈmo.ri/, [meˈmɛn̪t̪o ˈmɔːri]

Phrase

mementō morī

1. (literally) Be mindful of dying.
2. (idiomatic) Do not forget that you are only human.