Hypermnesia

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The condition in which an individual possesses an exceptional ability to recall information or past events indicates a notable enhancement in memory ability
2. An unusual cognitive occurrence characterized by a pronounced capacity for remembering previous experiences suggests a distinct improvement in memory retrieval
3. A phenomenon involving an extraordinary capability for recalling information from memory suggests a significant enhancement beyond typical recall abilities

Etymology: Hypermnesia is built from two Greek pieces: "hyper", meaning "over" or "beyond", and "mnēmē", meaning "memory". Its shape is deliberate. It was modelled on "amnesia", the loss of memory, with the Greek prefix "a-" (not) swapped for "hyper-". So the word is a mirror image of its more familiar opposite, and its meaning follows the same logic: memory pushed past the ordinary limit rather than lost. The Greek root "mnēmē" also gave English "mnemonic", the device for aiding recall, which shows how closely the family of words stays tied to remembering.