memory - Definition | Dictionary definition of memory

Definition of memory

Nouns

something that is remembered

"search as he would, the memory was lost"

Types:: show 5 types...; hide 5 types...; reminiscence
a mental impression retained and recalled from the past; recollection
something recalled to the mind; engram, memory trace
a postulated biochemical change (presumably in neural tissue) that represents a memory; confabulation
(psychiatry) a plausible but imagined memory that fills in gaps in what is remembered; screen memory
an imagined memory of a childhood experience; hides another memory of distressing significance

Type of:: internal representation, mental representation, representation
a presentation to the mind in the form of an idea or image

the cognitive processes whereby past experience is remembered

"he can do it from memory"

Synonyms:: remembering

Types:: show 18 types...; hide 18 types...; STM, immediate memory, short-term memory
what you can repeat immediately after perceiving it; working memory
memory for intermediate results that must be held during thinking; LTM, long-term memory
your general store of remembered information; episodic memory, personal memory
memory for episodes in your own life; semantic memory
your memory for meanings and general (impersonal) facts; motor memory, muscle memory
your memory for motor skills; retrieval
the cognitive operation of accessing information in memory; recall, recollection, reminiscence
the process of remembering (especially the process of recovering information by mental effort); mind
recall or remembrance; reconstruction, reconstructive memory
recall that is hypothesized to work by storing abstract features which are then used to construct the memory during recall; reproduction, reproductive memory
recall that is hypothesized to work by storing the original stimulus input and reproducing it during recall; regurgitation
recall after rote memorization; identification, recognition
the process of recognizing something or someone by remembering; identity
the individual characteristics by which a thing or person is recognized or known; speaker identification, talker identification
identification of a person from the sound of their voice; association, connection, connexion
the process of bringing ideas or events together in memory or imagination; colligation
the connection of isolated facts by a general hypothesis; retrospection
memory for experiences that are past

Type of:: basic cognitive process
cognitive processes involved in obtaining and storing knowledge

the power of retaining and recalling past experience

"he had a good memory when he was younger"

Synonyms:: retention, retentiveness, retentivity

Types:: anamnesis, recollection, remembrance
the ability to recall past occurrences

Type of:: faculty, mental faculty, module
one of the inherent cognitive or perceptual powers of the mind

an electronic memory device

"a memory and the CPU form the central part of a computer to which peripherals are attached"

Synonyms:: computer memory, computer storage, memory board, storage, store

Types:: show 11 types...; hide 11 types...; non-volatile storage, nonvolatile storage
computer storage that is not lost when the power is turned off; flash memory
nonvolatile storage that can be electrically erased and programmed anew; magnetic bubble memory
a nonvolatile storage device that holds information in the form of bubbles on a thin film of magnetic silicate; no longer used in most computers; ROM, fixed storage, read-only memory, read-only storage
(computer science) memory whose contents can be accessed and read but cannot be changed; CD-ROM, compact disc read-only memory
a compact disk that is used with a computer (rather than with an audio system); a large amount of digital information can be stored and accessed but it cannot be altered by the user; EPROM, erasable programmable read-only memory
(computer science) a read-only memory chip that can be erased by ultraviolet light and programmed again with new data; real storage
the main memory in a virtual memory system; scratchpad
(computer science) a high-speed internal memory used for temporary storage of preliminary information; virtual memory, virtual storage
(computer science) memory created by using the hard disk to simulate additional random-access memory; the addressable storage space available to the user of a computer system in which virtual addresses are mapped into real addresses; volatile storage
computer storage that is erased when the power is turned off; RAM, random access memory, random memory, random-access memory, read/write memory
the most common computer memory which can be used by programs to perform necessary tasks while the computer is on; an integrated circuit memory chip allows information to be stored or accessed in any order and all storage locations are equally accessible

Type of:: computer hardware, hardware
(computer science) the mechanical, magnetic, electronic, and electrical components making up a computer system; memory device, storage device
a device that preserves information for retrieval

the area of cognitive psychology that studies memory processes

"he taught a graduate course on learning and memory"