anamnesis

/ˈænəmˌnisɪs/

Other forms: anamneses

The ability to remember things that happened in the past is anamnesis. In ancient Greece, anamnesis was believed to include memories of past lives.

The original, philosophical meaning of anamnesis included taking memories from past existences and using them in your current life, through rational thought and true knowledge. The word has come to mean, more generally, "memory." It can also apply to a patient's medical history; a doctor might take notes on your anamnesis during a first visit. Anamnesis is a Greek word that means "a calling to mind," from the roots ana-, "back," and mimneskesthai, "to recall" or "to cause to remember."

Definitions of anamnesis

1. noun

   the ability to recall past occurrences
   synonyms: recollection, remembrance

   type of:

   memory, retention, retentiveness, retentivity

   the power of retaining and recalling past experience
2. noun

   the case history of a medical patient as recalled by the patient
   synonyms: medical history, medical record

   type of:

   case history

   detailed record of the background of a person or group under study or treatment