mnemonic
- As an adjective, relating to or assisting the memory; as a noun, a device such as a rhyme or acronym used to aid memorization.
In a sentence
- The teacher gave the class a mnemonic to remember the order of the planets.
- Many medical students rely on mnemonics to memorize the names of bones and nerves.
Usage note. Pronunciation is the trap: the initial 'mn-' is silent in English, so the word is said nih-MON-ik, not 'mm-NEE-mon-ik'; the silent 'm' survives from the original Greek.
Where it comes from
English mnemonic — “memory-assisting device” · entered English 18th c.
From Greek 'mnēmonikos', meaning 'of memory', derived from 'mnēmōn' (mindful) and ultimately from 'mnasthai' (to remember). The word entered English in the 18th century, around the 1750s, via New Latin 'mnemonicus'. It is related to Mnemosyne, the Greek goddess of memory.