souvenir

Where does the word "souvenir" come from? It comes from French souvenir, and was adopted directly into English (1770s).

Souvenir’s story begins in French: souvenir meant “to remember, to come to mind.” Literally to come to mind, from Latin subvenire (to come up, occur). It reached English by 1770s as souvenir. Settled as the word for an object kept as a memory of a place or event. Today, souvenir means an object kept as a reminder of a place, person, or event.

1. Stage 1 · French · medieval souvenir "to remember, to come to mind", literally to come to mind, from Latin subvenire (to come up, occur).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1770s souvenir "an object kept as a memory of a place or event", settled as the word for an object kept as a memory of a place or event.