Meanings
present singular third person commemorates · participle present commemorating · participle past commemorated · past commemorated
- transitiveTo honour the memory of someone or something with a ceremony or object.
On November 11th we commemorate the fallen with a march.
1 more example
On the anniversary of Korczak's murder, Israel commemorated him with a special postal issue. As a stamp collector and philatelic columnist, it pleased me greatly when other countries followed Israel's example in honoring him.
2009, Naava Piatka, No Goodbyes: A Father-Daughter Memoir of Love, War and Resurrection, page 98Synonyms: memorialize
comparative more commemorate · superlative most commemorate
- obsoleterareCommemorated.
In almost all the Psalms of praise, we find the preceding distress and afflictions […] first pathetically commemorat.
1671, Robert MacWard, The True Non-Conformist..., line 274
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo honour the memory of someone or something with a ceremony or object.
More synonyms by meaning
verbcall to remembrance; keep alive the memory of someone or something, as in a ceremony
verbbe or provide a memorial to a person or an event
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latincommemorātus
- Englishcommemorate
First attested in 1599; borrowed from Latin commemorātus, perfect passive participle of commemorō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix). Sporadic usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian отбелязвам годишнина, напомням
- отбелязвам годишнина (otbeljazvam godišnina)to honor the memory of someone or something
- напомням (napomnjam)to serve as memorial to someone or something
Catalan commemorar
- commemorarto honor the memory of someone or something
Dutch herdenken
- herdenkento honor the memory of someone or something
Finnish muistella
- muistellato honor the memory of someone or something
French commémorer, commémorer
- commémorerto honor the memory of someone or something
- commémorerto serve as memorial to someone or something
German gedenken, erinnern an
- gedenkento honor the memory of someone or something
- erinnern anto serve as memorial to someone or something
Greek εορτάζω τη μνήμη
- εορτάζω τη μνήμη (eortázo ti mními)to honor the memory of someone or something
Hungarian megemlékezik, emlékét őrzi
- megemlékezikto honor the memory of someone or something
- emlékét őrzito serve as memorial to someone or something
Indonesian memperingati
- memperingatito honor the memory of someone or something
Italian commemorare, commemorare
- commemorareto honor the memory of someone or something
- commemorareto serve as memorial to someone or something
Māori whakamahara
- whakamaharato honor the memory of someone or something
Polish uczcić pamięć, upamiętniać
- uczcić pamięćto honor the memory of someone or something
- upamiętniaćto serve as memorial to someone or something
- upamiętnićto serve as memorial to someone or something
Portuguese comemorar
- comemorarto honor the memory of someone or something
Russian чтить, почти́ть
- чтить (čtitʹ)to honor the memory of someone or something
- почти́ть (počtítʹ)to honor the memory of someone or something
- ознамено́вывать (oznamenóvyvatʹ)to serve as memorial to someone or something
- ознаменова́ть (oznamenovátʹ)to serve as memorial to someone or something
Spanish conmemorar
- conmemorarto honor the memory of someone or something
Swedish högtidlighålla
- högtidlighållato honor the memory of someone or something
Turkish yâd etmek, anmak
- yâd etmekto honor the memory of someone or something
- anmakto honor the memory of someone or something
Vietnamese kỷ niệm, tưởng nhớ
- kỷ niệmto honor the memory of someone or something
- tưởng nhớto honor the memory of someone or something
Cite this entry
commemorate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/commemorate
“commemorate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/commemorate. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “commemorate,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/commemorate.
Source: commemorate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.