lest we forget

English

Etymology

From the 1897 poem “Recessional” by English writer and poet Rudyard Kipling.

Pronunciation

• enPR: lĕst wē fər-gĕt′, (less common) -fôr-; IPA^(key): /lɛst wi fə(ɹ)ˈɡɛt/, (less common) /-fɔː(ɹ)-/

• Audio (Australia):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: lest we for‧get

Interjection

lest we forget

1. Used in ceremonies and memorials as a caution against forgetting those who died in war.
   1. (UK and Canada) Used in Remembrance Day ceremonies as a caution against forgetting those who died in war.
   2. (Australia and New Zealand) Used on Anzac Day memorials as a caution against forgetting those who died in World War I.

Usage notes

In Australian Remembrance Day usage, it is voiced as a responsory following a reading of the “Ode of Remembrance”.

Translations

used in ceremonies and memorials as a caution against forgetting those who died in war

• French: (Canada) n'oublions jamais
• Polish: abyśmy nie zapomnieli

See also

• “Lest We Forget”, in Urban Dictionary, launched 1999.
• “lest we forget, phr.”, in Merriam-Webster Online, Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 1996–present.