reminisce

English

WOTD – 3 January 2009

Etymology

Back-formation from reminiscence, from Latin reminīscēns, present participle of reminīscor (“remember”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˌɹɛm.əˈnɪs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Verb

reminisce (third-person singular simple present reminisces, present participle reminiscing, simple past and past participle reminisced)

1. (intransitive) To recall the past in a private moment, often fondly or nostalgically.
   • 2022, Vane, “Six Feet Under”‎^[1]:

     But in the blink of an eye, you kissed me goodbye
     And I reminisced of a better time

2. (intransitive) To talk or write about memories of the past, especially pleasant memories.
3. (transitive, chiefly India) To remember fondly; to reminisce about.
   • 1994, Iris Dement, "Childhood Memories" (on the album My Life)

     And now when life begins to get the best of me
     I reminisce these childhood memories

   • 2006, Amitava Bhattacharya, Selected Novels of Sarat Chandra Chatterjee, page 34:

     He reminisced the old Parvati who was now this Parvati.

   • 2012, Satish C. Bhatnagar, Epsilons and Deltas of Life: Everyday Stories, volume 1, page 16:

     She fondly reminisced the two years before marriage when Frank served in the US Army.

Related terms

• remember
• reminiscence
• reminiscent
• reminiscential

Translations

to recall the past in a private moment, often fondly or nostalgically

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 回憶／回忆 (zh) (huíyì), 追憶／追忆 (zh) (zhuīyì), 緬懷／缅怀 (zh) (miǎnhuái), 敘舊／叙旧 (zh) (xùjiù), 話舊／话旧 (zh) (huàjiù), 懷舊／怀旧 (zh) (huáijiù)

• Czech: vzpomínat (cs) impf, vzpomenout (cs) pf
• Finnish: muistella (fi)
• French: évoquer des réminiscences, se remémorer (fr)
• German: in Erinnerungen schwelgen
• Greek: αναπολώ (el) (anapoló)
• Hindi: याद करना (hi) (yād karnā)
• Hungarian: felidézi a múltat, nosztalgiázik (hu)
• Italian: rammentare (it), rievocare (it), ricordare (it)
• Korean: 추억하다 (ko) (chueokhada)
• Marathi: ^{(please verify)} भूतकाळ आठवणे (bhūtkāḷ āṭhavṇe), ^{(please verify)} आठवण काढणे (āṭhvaṇ kāḍhṇe), ^{(please verify)} गतकाळातील स्मृतींना उजाळा देणे (gatkāḷātīl smŕtīnnā ujāḷā deṇe)
• Norwegian: mimre
• Polish: wspominać (pl) impf, wspomnieć (pl) pf, powspominać impf
• Russian: вспомина́ть (ru) impf (vspominátʹ), вспо́мнить (ru) pf (vspómnitʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: cuimhnich
• Spanish: añorar (es), rememorar (es), remembrar (es)

to talk or write about memories of the past, especially pleasant memories

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 追憶／追忆 (zh) (zhuīyì)

• Czech: vzpomínat (cs) impf, vzpomenout (cs) pf
• Finnish: muistella (fi)
• Hindi: ^{(please verify)} यादे बताना या लिखना (yāde batānā yā likhnā)
• Hungarian: emlékeiről mesél
• Italian: abbandonarsi ai ricordi
• Maori: kōmanawa, maumahara
• Marathi: ^{(please verify)} आठवणींबद्दल बोलणे अथवा लिहीणे (āṭhavṇīmbaddal bolṇe athvā lihīṇe)
• Norwegian: mimre
• Polish: wspominać (pl) impf, wspomnieć (pl) pf, powspominać impf
• Russian: вспомина́ть (ru) impf (vspominátʹ), вспо́мнить (ru) pf (vspómnitʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: cuimhnich

Noun

reminisce (plural reminisces)

1. (informal) An act of reminiscence.
   • 2017, Alastair Campbell, Diaries Volume 6: From Blair to Brown, 2005 – 2007:

     I met up with Alastair McQueen [former Mirror colleague] and we had a reminisce.

Latin

Verb

reminīsce

1. second-person singular present active imperative of reminīscō