mnemonic

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English

WOTD – 24 January 2023

Pronunciation

The knuckles of two fists from left to right can be used as a mnemonic (noun sense 1) for the number of days in each month of the Gregorian calendar. Each knuckle represents a 31-day month, while a space between knuckles represents a 30-day (or, in the case of February, 28- or 29-day) month.

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Late Latin mnemonicus or its etymon Ancient Greek μνημονῐκός (mnēmonikós, “pertaining to memory or remembrance, memorial”) + English -ic (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives). Mνημονῐκός (Mnēmonikós) is derived from μνήμων (mnḗmōn, “mindful, remembering”) + -ῐκός (-ikós, suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives); while μνήμων (mnḗmōn) is from μνάομαι (mnáomai, “to be mindful, remember”) (from Proto-Indo-European *men- (“to mind; to think”)) + -μων (-mōn, suffix forming adjectives and agent nouns).

cognates

Adjective

mnemonic (not comparable)

  1. Especially of a series of ideas, letters, words, etc.: intended to help in remembering.
    Synonyms: anamnestic, (archaic) memorial, (archaic) mnemonical
    Antonym: antimnemonic
  2. Of or relating to mnemonics (“the study of techniques for remembering anything more easily”).
  3. Of or relating to memory.
    Synonym: mnestic
Alternative forms
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations

Etymology 2

Noun sense 1 (“something used to help in remembering a thing”) is borrowed from Latin mnēmonicum (“something used to help in remembering a thing”), from Ancient Greek μνημονικόν (mnēmonikón, “something used to help in remembering a thing”), a noun use of the neuter form of μνημονῐκός (mnēmonikós, adjective): see etymology 1. Noun sense 3 (“synonym of mnemonics”) is borrowed from Late Latin mnemonica, a noun use of the feminine form of mnemonicus: see etymology 1.

cognates

Noun

mnemonic (plural mnemonics)

Examples

“Richard of York gave battle in vain” and “Roy G. Biv” are mnemonics to aid in remembering the colours of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

  1. Something (especially a series of ideas, letters, words, etc.) used to help in remembering a thing; a memory aid.
    Synonyms: aide-mémoire, (rare) mnemonicon
    • 2003, Alex Kimbell, chapter 3, in The Unbridgeable Divide: A Love Story, Market Harborough, Leicestershire: Matador, →ISBN, section I, page 54:
      Mr Avery was a great believer in mnemonics; he had one for every possible aspect of flying – which was as good a way as any for student pilots to familiarise themselves with their new environment, but unless used on a daily basis could also be dangerous, for there were so many of them.
  2. (computing) The human-readable, textual form of an assembly language instruction, not including operands.
  3. (obsolete) Synonym of mnemonics (“the study of techniques for remembering anything more easily”)
Hyponyms
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Translations
See also
  • crib (“collection of quotes or references for use in speaking, for assembling a written document, or as an aid to a project of some sort”)

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 “mnemonic, n. and adj.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, March 2022; “mnemonic, n. and adj.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading

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