Etymograph

English

reminiscence

Reminiscence comes from Late Latin reminīscentiae ‘remembrances’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *men- ‘to think, mind’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*men-1‘to think, mind’root named by Wiktionary
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEreminīscor1‘remember’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEreminīscēns1‘recollecting, remembering’present active participle of reminīscor
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEreminīscentiae1‘remembrances’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1897reminiscence1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English reminiscence
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1897, Winston Churchill: “Here was my chance. I took the old man…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*men-Wiktionary, English reminiscence‘to think, mind’root named by Wiktionary
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEreminīscorWiktionary, English reminiscence‘remember’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEreminīscēnsWiktionary, English reminiscence‘recollecting, remembering’present active participle of reminīscor
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEreminīscentiaeWiktionary, English reminiscence‘remembrances’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1897reminiscenceWiktionary, English reminiscence. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1897, Winston Churchill: “Here was my chance. I took the old man…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *men- ‘to think, mind’

money, music, amount, mind, mouth, comment, museum, mental, mountain, mention, monster, auto, mount, permanent, remain, monitor, monetary, min, demonstration, monk, maya, mentor, monument, monte, monastery, amnesty, muse, mosaic, mint, summon, mas, mantra, dementia, mont, muster, monstrous, mandarin, amnesia, mania, imminent, 123 more

Today it means

noun An act of remembering long-past experiences, especially positive or pleasant ones, often fondly.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “reminiscence”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *men- / reminiscence

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