Commemorated

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To have recognized an event or person through meaningful tribute or remembrance
2. To have paid homage to someone or something by marking a significant occasion or achievement
3. To have honored a person or event by celebrating their importance or legacy

Etymology: "Commemorated" is the past tense of "commemorate," so its story is really the story of the verb. English borrowed "commemorate" in the late 1500s, around 1599, directly from the Latin "commemorātus," the past participle of "commemorō." That Latin verb combined "com-," an intensifying prefix meaning "together" or "thoroughly," with "memorō," "to call to mind," itself rooted in "memor," "mindful." To commemorate, then, was originally to bring something thoroughly back to mind. The English word kept that sense of recollection for a long time before taking on the idea of formal observance. A commemoration came to mean a ceremony or act that keeps a person or event in public memory, which is why we now speak of commemorating anniversaries, battles, or achievements. The verb's grammar is simple: the "-ate" ending came into English through Latin, and the past form "commemorated" follows ordinary English patterns.

Synonyms: celebrated, honored, observed, remembered, recognized

Antonyms: forgotten, ignored, neglected, overlooked, disregarded