souvenir
UK/,suːvə'nɪə/US/.su:vә'niә/
IELTSTOEFLGREB1
Definitions
n.
An object kept to remember a place, event, or trip
纪念品
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedFrom French, from Latin subvenīre: sub- (up from below) + venīre (come) = "to come up." It was used of a memory rising up into the mind. French made it a noun for the thing that makes that memory surface, so a souvenir is literally a trigger for the past to "come back up" — a shell, a ticket stub, a fridge magnet.
Root ven still carries 84 more wordsUsage Guide
Note the French spelling — sou-, not "su-" — and the stress on the last syllable in English (sou-ve-NEER). It's always a physical keepsake; don't use it for an abstract memory itself (use memory for that).
Example Sentences
- 1.
She bought a tiny Eiffel Tower as a souvenir of Paris.
- 2.
The shop sells souvenirs to tourists all year round.
- 3.
He keeps the ticket as a souvenir of that concert.