Can a souvenir be a non-physical thing?

From what I see in major dictionaries, the word "souvenir" is used only for physical objects. For example, a small Eiffel tower bought on a trip to Paris.

Can "souvenir" be used in the sense of "memory"? Like in this song. "Souvenirs" in it were clearly supposed to mean "memories". However, the author was Greek and it's a song, which often have loose grammar, so I'm not sure.

Any help would be highly appreciated.

Solution 1:

It's not in all dictionaries, but Collins [American usages] carries the metaphorically broadened sense

souvenir [sampling especially American usages] [noun]

1. a usually small and relatively inexpensive article given, kept, or purchased as a reminder of a place visited, an occasion, etc.; memento

2. a memory

[adjusted; bolding mine]

I don't know why this sense is not in their section sampling especially British usages as it wouldn't be thought too strange in the UK in appropriate contexts. 'Souvenir' and 'memory' are far from being exact synonyms, though.

The metaphorical usage can be – I'd say usually is – ironic, the souvenirs being unwanted but not easy to get rid of. An example I've found is

– I take away mental scars as souvenirs

from a thread on forums.contractoruk... which also includes a similar example considered to require scare-quotes round the unusual metaphorical usage.

Solution 2:

The OED, which lists a word’s senses in their historical order of appearance in the documented record by year of earliest citation, gives two main senses for souvenir, both attested in the late 18ᵗʰ century by writers from England, emboldening mine:

1. a. A thing or fact remembered; an act or instance of remembering; a memory. Chiefly literary.

2. a. Something that is given or kept as a reminder of a place, person, event, etc.; a memento, a keepsake; spec. a (typically small and inexpensive) item designed for sale to tourists and having some association with the place visited. (Now the usual sense.)

Notice how they’ve marked the memorative sense as chiefly literary, while signalling that the keepsake sense is now the usual one.

Citations for the first sense include “Versailles, where every stone evokes a souvenir of the past.” from the 20ᵗʰ century and “Eifermann was recalling, as her most vivid souvenir of the Hamburg Congress, the lord mayor’s applause-winning declaration.” from the 21ˢᵗ.

There are extended senses as well, such as the World War I military slang where it meant a bullet, as well as compounds such as souvenir mug and souvenir seller.

Solution 3:

In addition to the other excellent answers, souvenir can be used ironically for something unwanted that is brought back from a trip, either a physical object or something non-physical. For example, a sunburn, a tropical disease, a cast on your broken leg, nightmares from witnessing a shark attack. Anything that you didn't really want on your trip.