Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1200-1300
Language: Old French
Origin: memorie, from Latin memoria, from memor 'remembering'

memory

 noun
     
Related topics: Computers
mem‧o‧ry S1 W1 plural memories
1

ability to remember

[uncountable and countable] someone's ability to remember things, places, experiences etcCOLLOCATIONS COLLOCATIONS
have a good/excellent memory have a bad/poor/terrible etc memory have a memory like a sieve (=have a very bad memory) have a long memory (=be able to remember things for a long time) have a short memory (=only remember something for a short time, and soon forget it) from memory (=using your memory, and not using notes or written instructions) lose your memory (=lose your ability to remember things) short-term memory (=your ability to remember things you have just seen, heard, or experienced) long-term memory (=your ability to remember events that happened a long time ago) remain/stay/be etched in your memory (=be remembered for a long time) if my memory serves me correctly/right (=used to say that you are almost certain you have remembered correctly)
My memory 's not as good as it once was.
memory for
She has a terrible memory for names.
Those of you with long memories will remember this song.
The pianist played the whole piece from memory.
I'm speaking from memory, but I believe it was last May.
The first symptom of the disease is often short-term memory loss.
The image has remained in my memory ever since.
If my memory serves me correctly, he lived in Paris for a while.
2

something you remember

[countable usually plural] something that you remember from the past about a person, place, or experience
memory of
She talked about her memories of the war.
happy/fond/bad etc memories
He has lots of happy memories of his stay in Japan.
My most vivid memory is not the accident itself but being in the ambulance.
One of my earliest childhood memories is of my mother reading stories to me by the fire.
Those old songs bring back memories.
3TD

computer

a) [countable]TD the part of a computer where information can be stored:
The data is stored in the computer's memory.
b) [uncountable]TD the amount of space that can be used for storing information on a computer:
128 Mb of memory
Personal computers now have much increased memory capacity.
4

in/within memory

during the time that people can remember:
the worst floods in living memory (=since the earliest time that people now alive can remember)
It's certainly the best England team in recent memory.
The disaster was within the memory of many men still working at the station.
5

in memory of somebody

if something is done or made in memory of someone, it is done to remember them and remind other people of them after they have died:
a statue in memory of those who died in the war
She set up a charitable fund in her father's memory.
6

somebody's memory

the way you remember someone who has died:
She died over 40 years ago but her memory lives on (=people still remember her).
to somebody's memory
There's a bench to his memory in the local park.
7

a walk/trip down memory lane

when you spend some time remembering the past:
She returned to her old school yesterday for a trip down memory lane.
8

somebody's memory is playing tricks on them

spoken used to say that someone is remembering things wrongly:
My memory must be playing tricks on me; I'm sure I put that book on the desk.

➔ commit something to memory

at commit (9)

➔ jog somebody's memory

at jog1 (3) ➔ photographic memory

➔ refresh somebody's memory

at refresh (2)
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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