Monday, May 25, 2009

Memeor* (for Memorial, Memory, etc.)

Memorial Day is the U.S. holiday honoring those who have died in the nation’s wars. Formerly known as Decoration Day, the observance dates back to the Civil War, and in 1971 federal law fixed the date as the last Monday in May. Memorial Day is observed locally with parades and the decorating of graves, and nationally with the placing of a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia.

Memeor* is a high-probability typo on the Ballard list, and there are 18 occurrences in OhioLINK. Many occur in transcribed fields, which means they may or may not be typos, while another appears to be a variant for the Spanish “memoria.”

(Sailor and Woman at the Tomb of the Unknowns, May 1943, from Wikimedia Commons)

Deb Kulczak

No comments: