Commemorate Meaning
/kəˈmɛməˌɹeɪt/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo honour the memory of someone or something with a ceremony or object.
verbTo serve as a memorial to someone or something.
Sentence Examples
They were erected to commemorate a certain event or to tell an ancestral legend.
Jews don't celebrate the holocaust, they commemorate it.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Every year, the town holds a parade to ____ the founding of the city.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The city organized a massive parade to respectfully ____ the courageous heroes of the war.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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 98:
"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:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Every year, the town holds a parade to ____ the founding of the city.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The city organized a massive parade to respectfully ____ the courageous heroes of the war.