museum

[ myoo-zee-uhm ]

noun

1. a building or place where works of art, scientific specimens, or other objects of permanent value are kept and displayed.

museum

/ mjuːˈzɪəm /

noun

1. a place or building where objects of historical, artistic, or scientific interest are exhibited, preserved, or studied

Other Words From

• inter·mu·seum adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of museum¹

1605–15; < Latin mūsēum place sacred to the Muses, building devoted to learning or the arts (referring especially to the scholarly institute founded in Alexandria about 280 b.c.) < Greek Mouseîon, equivalent to Moûs ( a ) Muse + -eion suffix of place

Word History and Origins

Origin of museum¹

C17: via Latin from Greek Mouseion home of the Muses, from Mousa Muse

Example Sentences

"Open it up the next day as the museum to the deep state," he said.

From Salon

Yet many residents of Overtown — which has experienced mass displacement and gentrification over the decades — have never been to the museum nor the nearby Virginia Key Beach on an island in the bay.

From New York Times

Yes, an art conservator, the kind of specialist who is often more associated with helping museums and historical societies preserve their collections.

From New York Times

At the museum, two of her ceramic stumps, or armatures, sit several feet high, both a fleshy pink with streaks of white and red.

From Los Angeles Times

By that point, gay marriage had become the law of the land and a new bar using the Stonewall name, now spruced up for tourists, had taken over the space, with a museum next door.

From New York Times

Related Words

• building
• foundation
• gallery
• hall
• institution
• library
• salon