museum

noun

mu·​se·​um myu̇-ˈzē-əm How to pronounce museum (audio)
Synonyms of museumnext
: an institution devoted to the procurement, care, study, and display of objects of lasting interest or value
American Museum of Natural History
also : a place where objects are exhibited
an art museum

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of museum in a Sentence

a museum of natural history a trip to the Museum of Natural History
Recent Examples on the Web The skinny brown stone is just over 4 inches in length and has several vertical lines carved into one side, a photo shared by the museum on Facebook shows. —Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 13 May 2024 In total, the terrace will feature 200,000 square feet of museum, educational and performing arts space. —Jonathan Horwitz, Orange County Register, 12 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for museum 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'museum.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin Museum place for learned occupation, from Greek Mouseion, from neuter of Mouseios of the Muses, from Mousa

First Known Use

circa 1660, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of museum was circa 1660

Phrases Containing museum

Dictionary Entries Near museum

musette

museum

museum beetle

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Museum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/museum. Accessed 17 May. 2024.

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Kids Definition

museum

noun
mu·​se·​um myu̇-ˈzē-əm How to pronounce museum (audio)
: a building in which interesting and valuable things (as works of art or historical or scientific objects) are collected and shown to the public
Etymology

from Latin Museum "a place devoted to the Muses, a place for the study of special arts and sciences," from Greek Mouseion (same meaning), from Mouseios "of the Muses," from Mousa "Muse, goddess of an art or science" — related to music

Word Origin
The ancient Greeks worshipped nine sister goddesses, each of whom was called a Mousa. In English we now refer to them as the Muses. The Greeks believed that each Muse was the goddess of a particular art or science. A place that was dedicated to these goddesses—and to the arts and sciences for which they stood—was called a Mouseion. The Greek Mouseion became Museum in Latin, from which it was borrowed into English about 300 years ago.

More from Merriam-Webster on museum

Nglish: Translation of museum for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of museum for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about museum

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