Term of Art: Memorandum

“Memorandum (noun): A brief note or reminder or a record kept for future reference; a particular interoffice notice or staff communication; directive; informal diplomatic summary or outline, as of a decision or policy; official statement or observation for the record. Plural: memorandums, memoranda.

‘The authors evidently failed to understand that a memorandum for the President was only a writer’s device to sell books, not a framework that had to be taken literally…. Instead of capturing the emotion and suspense of politics at the center, the authors have indeed produced an overlong memorandum.'”

Edward Cowan, The New York Times

Excerpted from: Grambs, David. The Random House Dictionary for Writers and Readers. New York: Random House, 1990.