-arium
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.
Origin of -arium
1<Latin -ārium;see -ary
- Compare -ary.
Words Nearby -arium
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for -arium
-arium
suffix forming nouns
indicating a place for or associated with something: aquarium; planetarium; solarium
Origin of -arium
1from Latin -ārium, neuter of -ārius -ary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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