call to mind

present singular third person calls to mind · participle present calling to mind · participle past called to mind · past called to mind

1. To intentionally think about; to reflect upon.

   And so father, calling to mind his death on the cross, and his perfect sacrifice made once for the sins of all men; and […]

   1980, The Alternative Service book, Church of England

   1 more example

   […]she could take no rest: for if she waked, she began to call to minde his beautie, and thinking to beguile such thoughts with sleepe, she then dreamed of his perfection[…]

   1588, Robert Greene, The Historie of Dorastus and Fawnia, published 1902

2. To cause to think about; to evoke.

   This sort of painting calls to mind what musicians call timbre.

   2004, Michael Drolet, editor, The Postmodernism Reader: Foundational Texts, page 258

   3 more examples

   It is allowed that his tones are full and soft, and that his performance called to mind that of the celebrated Rhode;[…]

   1829, “Varieties”, in The Athenæum and Literary Chronicle, Volume 1 (90): 446

   The painting calls to mind the description in Xenophon of how the animal was driven into the net and killed.

   1929, Mary Hamilton Swindler, Ancient Painting: from the earliest times to the period of Christian art, page 101

   The chopped mushrooms add depth to both the Waitrose and the Go-Go Vegan recipe, but what gives the latter some real clout on the flavour front is a teaspoon of Marmite. Vegetarian tweeter Jessica Edmonds tells me her boyfriend likes a similar recipe because "it tastes of Twiglets!". I'm with him – frankly, what's Christmas without a Twiglet? – but Annie Bell's goat's cheese has given me an idea for something even more festive. Stilton works brilliantly with parsnips, providing a savoury richness which feels a little more special than common or garden yeast extract. Blue cheese calls to mind the chestnuts used by Mary Berry of course, and now I'm on a roll, I pop in some sage and onion too, in a nod to the classic festive stuffing.

   2011 December 15, Felicity Cloake, “How to cook the perfect nut roast”, in Guardian

   Synonyms: bring to mind