memorialis

of or belonging to memory

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An extremely ancient weathered stone footpath disappears into a pale distant mist, its foreground slabs deeply worn and partly rooted into earth; two subtly suggested earlier generations following the same route fade into distance to evoke origins beyond remembered time.

adjective

immemorial

im-uh-MOR-ee-ul/ˌɪməˈmɔːriəl/

Extending so far into the past that no one remembers its beginning.

Etymology

imLatinnot; without

+memorialLatinof or belonging to memory

The negative prefix places something outside the reach of memory. Here that means its beginnings are too ancient to be remembered, rather than that it is unworthy of remembrance.

Full entry

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immemorial