memorate

Memorate is a verb meaning to cause to be remembered or to commemorate; to preserve in memory. In contemporary English it is considered archaic or rare and is most often found in historical, legal, or literary texts. For most modern contexts, speakers and writers use commemorate or memorialize instead.

The verb derives from Latin memoratus, from memor “mindful,” and entered English via Old French or directly into Middle English. Its sense centers on creating or fixing a memory of a person, event, or achievement.

As a formal or ceremonial term, memorate appears in older records and in scholarly prose to describe deliberate acts that establish memory, such as inscriptions, rituals, or commemorative statutes. Because of its antiquated feel, many editors classify memorate as obsolete or rare in modern usage.

See also: commemorate, memorialize, remembrance.