memorandum

M3E1M3O1R1A1N1D2U1M3
/ˌmɛm.əˈɹæn.dəm/

noun

A short note serving as a reminder.

Meanings

nounmemorandum (plural memorandums or memoranda)

plural memorandums · plural memoranda

  1. A short note serving as a reminder.
    1 more example

    ....be more difficult or uncertain than it had been for so many weeks, I had scarcely for a moment adverted to it as necessary, or placed it amongst my memoranda against this parting interview; and my final anxieties being spent in comforting her with hopes, and in pressing upon her the necessity of getting some medicines for a violent cough and hoarseness with which she was troubled, I wholly forgot it until it was too late to recall her.

    1821, Thomas De Quincey, Confessions of an English Opium-Eater
  2. A written business communication.

    The Trump administration will allow federal workers to promote their religious beliefs to colleagues, display religious items at work and pray together or individually, according to a memorandum issued Monday by the Office of Personnel Management.

    2025 July 28, Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, “Trump administration allows federal workers to promote religious beliefs”, in CNN
  3. A brief diplomatic communication.
  4. A page in an annual publication honoring the memory of a person who died during the past year.

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna written proposal or reminder

Broader
Also see

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinmemorandum
  2. Englishmemorandum

Learned borrowing from Latin memorandum, neuter of memorandus (“to be remembered”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek ὑπόμνημα
  • ὑπόμνημα (hupómnēma)short note serving as a reminder
Arabic مُذَكِّرَة
  • مُذَكِّرَة (muḏakkira)short note serving as a reminder
Bulgarian беле́жка, запи́ска
  • беле́жка (beléžka)short note serving as a reminder
  • запи́ска (zapíska)short note serving as a reminder
  • па́метка (pámetka)short note serving as a reminder
  • но́та (nóta)brief diplomatic communication
Chinese Mandarin 備忘錄 /备忘录, 備忘錄 /备忘录
  • 備忘錄 /备忘录 (bèiwànglù)short note serving as a reminder
  • 備忘錄 /备忘录 (bèiwànglù)written business communication
  • 照會 /照会 (zhàohuì)brief diplomatic communication
Dutch notitie
  • notitiewritten business communication
Estonian meelespea
  • meelespeashort note serving as a reminder
Finnish muistio, muistio
  • muistioshort note serving as a reminder
  • muistiowritten business communication
  • muistiobrief diplomatic communication
French mémorandum, mémorandum
  • mémorandumshort note serving as a reminder
  • mémorandumwritten business communication
  • mémorandumbrief diplomatic communication
German Memorandum, Memorandum
  • Memorandumshort note serving as a reminder
  • Memorandumwritten business communication
  • Memorandumbrief diplomatic communication
Greek μνημόνιο, υπόμνημα
  • μνημόνιο (mnimónio)short note serving as a reminder
  • υπόμνημα (ypómnima)short note serving as a reminder
  • μνημόνιο (mnimónio)written business communication
  • υπόμνημα (ypómnima)written business communication
  • μνημόνιο (mnimónio)brief diplomatic communication
  • υπόμνημα (ypómnima)brief diplomatic communication
Hindi याददाश्त, ज्ञापन
  • याददाश्त (yāddāśt)short note serving as a reminder
  • ज्ञापन (jñāpan)written business communication
  • ज्ञापन (jñāpan)brief diplomatic communication
Japanese メモ, 備忘録
  • メモ (memo)short note serving as a reminder
  • 備忘録 (bibōroku)short note serving as a reminder
  • 忘備録 (bōbiroku)short note serving as a reminder
  • 覚書 (oboegaki)written business communication
  • 覚書 (oboegaki)brief diplomatic communication
Korean 비망록, 메모
  • 비망록 (bimangnok)short note serving as a reminder
  • 메모 (memo)short note serving as a reminder
  • 비망록 (bimangnok)written business communication
Norwegian promemoria
  • promemoriashort note serving as a reminder
Polish notatka, zapisek
  • notatkashort note serving as a reminder
  • zapisekshort note serving as a reminder
  • memorandumbrief diplomatic communication
Portuguese lembrete, memorando
  • lembreteshort note serving as a reminder
  • memorandowritten business communication
  • memorandobrief diplomatic communication
Russian заме́тка, запи́ска
  • заме́тка (zamétka)short note serving as a reminder
  • запи́ска (zapíska)short note serving as a reminder
  • мемора́ндум (memorándum)short note serving as a reminder
  • служе́бная запи́ска (služébnaja zapíska)written business communication
  • докладна́я запи́ска (dokladnája zapíska)written business communication
  • докладна́я (dokladnája)written business communication
  • мемора́ндум (memorándum)brief diplomatic communication
  • но́та (nóta)brief diplomatic communication
Scottish Gaelic cuimhneachan
  • cuimhneachanshort note serving as a reminder
Spanish memorándum, memorando
  • memorándumshort note serving as a reminder
  • memorandoshort note serving as a reminder
  • memorándumwritten business communication
  • memorandowritten business communication
  • memorándumbrief diplomatic communication
  • memorandobrief diplomatic communication
Swedish promemoria, promemoria
  • promemoriashort note serving as a reminder
  • promemoriabrief diplomatic communication
Tagalog paandam, sulat-paalaala
  • paandamshort note serving as a reminder
  • sulat-paalaalashort note serving as a reminder
  • paandamwritten business communication
  • paandambrief diplomatic communication
Turkish muhtıra
  • muhtırashort note serving as a reminder
Ukrainian мемора́ндум, но́та
  • мемора́ндум (memorándum)brief diplomatic communication
  • но́та (nóta)brief diplomatic communication
Welsh cofnod
  • cofnodshort note serving as a reminder
Cite this entry
APA

memorandum. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/memorandum

MLA

“memorandum.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/memorandum. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “memorandum,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/memorandum.

Source: memorandum on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.