Definition

1. Noun:
   • A small item kept in memory of the person who gave it or of the occasion on which it was received: A keepsake is an object, often of little monetary value, that is kept and treasured because it reminds the owner of a person, place, or event. It holds sentimental or emotional value.

Usage

• A keepsake is typically a physical object, such as a piece of jewelry, a photograph, a ticket stub, or a letter. It serves as a tangible reminder of a past experience or relationship.
• It is often given as a gift to commemorate a special occasion like a wedding, graduation, or farewell.
• The word is used to emphasize the emotional significance of the object over its material worth.

Examples

• Noun:
  • She gave me a locket as a keepsake before I moved away.
  • I keep the seashell as a keepsake from our trip to the beach.
  • The old watch was his only keepsake from his grandfather.

Advanced Usage

• "A cherished keepsake": A keepsake that is deeply valued and loved.
  • The quilt her grandmother made is a cherished keepsake.
• "A keepsake box": A special container used to store sentimental items.
  • She stores all her childhood keepsakes in a wooden keepsake box.

Variants and Related Words

• Memento (n): An object kept as a reminder or souvenir of a person or event. (Very similar in meaning to keepsake.)
• Souvenir (n): A thing that is kept as a reminder of a place, person, or event. (Often associated with travel, while a keepsake is more personal.)
• Token (n): A thing serving as a visible or tangible representation of a fact, quality, feeling, etc. (Can be a keepsake, e.g., a token of affection.)

Synonyms

• Remembrance: Something that serves to keep someone or something in mind.
• Relic: An object surviving from an earlier time, especially one of historical or sentimental interest.
• Memorial: Something, especially a structure, established to remind people of a person or event.

Related Phrases

• "To treasure as a keepsake": To value and keep something carefully for its sentimental importance.
  • He treasured the simple note as a keepsake of their friendship.
• "A keepsake from the past": An object that serves as a reminder of a time that has gone by.
  • The faded photograph was a keepsake from the past.

Related Idioms

• "Hold onto something for keepsake": To keep something for sentimental reasons.
  • Even though it's just a pebble, I'll hold onto it for keepsake.

Noun

1. something of sentimental value