keepsake C2+ Topic:People & Society US /ˈkipseɪk/ UK /ˈkiːpseɪk/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun a small item kept in memory of the person who gave or owned it She wore her grandmother's ring as a treasured keepsake. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a small item kept in memory... mementosouvenirtokenremembrancerelictrophy Word family Related forms keepsake Etymology AI details A compound coined in the 18th century from keep + sake (as in 'for the sake of keeping'), modeled on namesake. cēpan Old English sacu Old English View etymology graph -> Topics People & Society External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # keepsake **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈkipseɪk/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈkiːpseɪk/ ## Meanings 1. a small item kept in memory of the person who gave or owned it ## Examples - She wore her grandmother's ring as a treasured keepsake. ## Synonyms - memento - souvenir - token - remembrance - relic - trophy ## Related Forms - keep - sake ## Roots and Affixes - Root: cēpan - Root: sacu ## Etymology A compound coined in the 18th century from keep + sake (as in 'for the sake of keeping'), modeled on namesake. ## AI Etymology Keepsake is a compound coined in the 18th century from keep + sake (as in 'for the sake of keeping'), modeled on namesake. The compound structure is semantically important: one element narrows the setting, direction, or quality, and the other supplies the object, action, or base idea. As a noun, it denotes "a small item kept in memory of the person who gave or owned it", keeping the historical idea close to its dictionary sense. Relevant historical forms include Old English cēpan and Old English sacu. Related words include keep, sake. ## Topics - People & Society markdown