*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of memo

Clipping of memorandum.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
verb

To record something; to make a note of something. · To send someone a note about something, for the record.

noun

A short note; a memorandum. · A record of partial results that can be reused later without recomputation.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of memorandum.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clipping",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "memorandum"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of memorandum"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "memorandum",
      "memorandum#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To record something; to make a note of something.",
        "To send someone a note about something, for the record."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "0594310e2d115c5e0cd7dfb4a6cdd97df86b952f994ca0c00e8296789ba9ba85",
      "rawRecordSha256": "46cfb3a1920c2109a75dee50ce9e30a74dc96abe355f49c0945fa050d2aecc8b",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 353119
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A short note; a memorandum.",
        "A record of partial results that can be reused later without recomputation."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "186b8c5377d87bd87d3a121799f9d414c3255cba83603a6abaa325f3b2136525",
      "rawRecordSha256": "eae86ee0ba17a835f75653d612147e389f08e18d9b245c53fa368b3343d94574",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 353118
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for memo →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-bWVtbw