mem·o·ry

[mem-uh-ree]
noun, plural mem·o·ries.
1.
the mental capacity or faculty of retaining and reviving facts, events, impressions, etc., or of recalling or recognizing previous experiences.
2.
this faculty as possessed by a particular individual: to have a good memory.
3.
the act or fact of retaining and recalling impressions, facts, etc.; remembrance; recollection: to draw from memory.
4.
the length of time over which recollection extends: a time within the memory of living persons.
5.
a mental impression retained; a recollection: one's earliest memories.
6.
the reputation of a person or thing, especially after death; fame: a ruler of beloved memory.
7.
the state or fact of being remembered.
8.
a person, thing, event, fact, etc., remembered.
9.
commemorative remembrance; commemoration: a monument in memory of Columbus.
10.
the ability of certain materials to return to an original shape after deformation.
11.
Also called computer memory, storage. Computers.
a.
the capacity of a computer to store information subject to recall.
b.
the components of the computer in which such information is stored.
12.
Rhetoric. the step in the classical preparation of a speech in which the wording is memorized.
13.
Cards. concentration ( def 7 ).
Origin:
1275–1325; Middle English memorie < Latin memoria, equivalent to memor mindful, remembering + -ia -y3

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
memory (ˈmɛmərɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n , pl -ries
1.  a.  the ability of the mind to store and recall past sensations, thoughts, knowledge, etc: he can do it from memory
 b.  the part of the brain that appears to have this function
2.  the sum of everything retained by the mind
3.  a particular recollection of an event, person, etc
4.  the time over which recollection extends: within his memory
5.  commemoration or remembrance: in memory of our leader
6.  the state of being remembered, as after death
7.  backing store See also virtual storage RAM, main store, Also called: store a part of a computer in which information is stored for immediate use by the central processing unit
8.  the tendency for a material, system, etc, to show effects that depend on its past treatment or history
9.  the ability of a material, etc, to return to a former state after a constraint has been removed
 
[C14: from Old French memorie, from Latin memoria, from memor mindful]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

memory
mid-13c., from Anglo-Fr. memorie, from L. memoria, from memor "mindful, remembering," from PIE base *men-/*mon- "think" (see mind (n.)). Computer sense is from 1946.
"I am grown old and my memory is not as active as it used to be. When I was younger I could remember anything, whether it had happened or not; but my faculties are decaying now and soon I shall be so I cannot remember any but the things that never happened. It is sad to go to pieces like this, but we all have to do it." [Mark Twain]
Related: Memories.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

memory mem·o·ry (měm'ə-rē)
n.

  1. The mental faculty of retaining and recalling past experience based on the mental processes of learning, retention, recall, and recognition.

  2. Persistent modification of behavior resulting from experience.

  3. The capacity of a material, such as plastic or metal, to return to a previous shape after deformation.

  4. The capability of the immune system to produce a specific secondary response to an antigen it has previously encountered.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
memory   (měm'ə-rē)  Pronunciation Key 

    1. The ability to remember past experiences or learned information, involving advanced mental processes such as learning, retention, recall, and recognition and resulting from chemical changes between neurons in several different areas of the brain, including the hippocampus. Immediate memory lasts for just a few seconds. Short-term memory stores information that has been minimally processed and is available only for a few minutes, as in remembering a phone number just long enough to use it. Short-term memory is transferred into long-term memory, which can last for many years, only when repeated use of the information facilitates neurochemical changes that allow it to be retained. The loss of memory because of disease or injury is called amnesia.

    2. The collection of information gained from past learning or experience that is stored in a person's mind.

    3. A piece of information, such as the mental image of an experience, that is stored in the memory.

    4. A part of a computer in which data is stored for later use.

    5. The capacity of a computer, chips, and storage devices to preserve data and programs for retrieval. Memory is measured in bytes. See more at hard disk, RAM, ROM.

    1. A part of a computer in which data is stored for later use.

    2. The capacity of a computer, chips, and storage devices to preserve data and programs for retrieval. Memory is measured in bytes. See more at hard disk, RAM, ROM.

  3. The capacity of a material, such as plastic or metal, to return to a previous shape or condition.

  4. The capacity of the immune system to produce a specific immune response to an antigen it has previously encountered.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary

memory definition

storage
These days, usually used synonymously with Random Access Memory or Read-Only Memory, but in the general sense it can be any device that can hold data in machine-readable format.
(1996-05-25)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © Denis Howe 2010 http://foldoc.org
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

memory

see commit to memory; in memory of.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Example sentences
It's probably a merciful thing that pain is impossible to describe from memory.
Psychological pressure can make you more attentive, improving your memory and
  ability to learn.
How a mental gym can tone your mind and stave off memory loss.
The beauty of a brief affair is its ability to exist as a single, unique memory.
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