Memorandum Means Something to Be Remembered
A memo is a short written note. Its Latin source is a verb form meaning it must be remembered.
A memo is a short written note circulated within an organisation, short for *memorandum*. The Latin is a gerundive, a form meaning something that must be done: *memorandum* literally means a thing to be remembered. English has several such words — *agenda*, things to be done, and *referendum*, a thing to be referred back. The plural is properly *memoranda*, though *memorandums* and the shortened *memos* are both standard now.
- A short note. *An office memo.*
- Memorandum — the full word. *A memorandum.*
- To be remembered. *The literal sense.*
- Agenda — things to be done. *An agenda.*
- Latin — *memorare*, to remember. *The root.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | memo | A memo. |
| Plural | memos | Memos. |
| Full form | memorandum | A memorandum. |
| Latin plural | memoranda | Memoranda. |
| Latin | memorare | To remember. |
- She circulated a memo.Office.
- It means a thing to be remembered.Etymology.
- Memoranda is the Latin plural.Grammar.
Latin gerundives in English
- Memorandum — a thing to be remembered
- Agenda — things to be done
- Referendum — a thing to be referred back
- Addendum — a thing to be added
- Corrigendum — a thing to be corrected
Short for *memorandum*, the neuter gerundive of Latin *memorare*, to remember.
What does memorandum literally mean?
A thing that must be remembered. It is a Latin gerundive, the same form as agenda and referendum.
What is the plural of memorandum?
Memoranda in Latin, though memorandums is accepted and memos is standard for the shortened form.