-arium

1. a suffix occurring in loanwords from Latin, which often denote a location or receptacle ( armarium; caldarium; solarium; vivarium ). It has limited productivity in English, especially in words denoting an artificial environment for plants or animals, on the model of vivarium or herbarium: aquarium; insectarium; terrarium.

-arium

suffix forming nouns

1. indicating a place for or associated with something

   planetarium

   aquarium

   solarium

Word History and Origins

Origin of -arium¹

< Latin -ārium; -ary

Word History and Origins

Origin of -arium¹

from Latin -ārium, neuter of -ārius -ary

Words That Use -arium

What does -arium mean?

The combining form -arium is a suffix meaning “location” or “receptacle.” It is occasionally used in everyday and technical terms.

The form -arium comes from Latin -ārium, meaning “thing connected with or employed in, place for.” Though unrelated, a form similar in meaning and use is -tory (also -torium), from Latin -tōrium, as in dormitory and auditorium. To learn more, check out our entries for both words.

Examples of -arium

One example of a word that uses the suffix -arium is terrarium, “a glass container, chiefly or wholly enclosed, for growing and displaying plants.”

The terr- part of the word is a shortened form of terra, meaning “earth” or “land.” As we have seen, the -arium part of the word means “receptacle.” Terrarium literally translates to “earth receptacle.”

What are some words that use the combining form -arium?

• aquarium
• oceanarium
• planetarium (using the equivalent form of -arium in Latin)
• solarium (using the equivalent form of -arium in Latin)
• vivarium (using the equivalent form of -arium in Latin)

What are some other forms that -arium may be commonly confused with?

• -ard
• -art
• -tory

Not every word that ends with the exact letters -arium, such as honorarium or sudarium, is necessarily using the combining form -arium to denote “receptacle.” Learn why honorarium means “a fee or payment” at our entry for the word.

Break it down!

The combining form aqua- means “water.” With this in mind, what does aquarium literally translate to?