# engram

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈɛnˌɡɹæm/ · frequency rank #85,223

## Definitions
1. A postulated physical or biochemical change in neural tissue that represents a memory.
2. A painful, negative mental image representing a past event.

## Etymology
Borrowed from German Engramm which was coined by German evolutionary biologist Richard Semon in 1904. First attested in English in 1921 (see quotation below). Ultimately from Ancient Greek ἐν (en, “in”) + γράμμα (grámma, “writing, picture”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/engram