aquarium

[uh-kwair-ee-uh m]

noun, plural a·quar·i·ums, a·quar·i·a

[uh-kwair-ee-uh] /əˈkwɛər i ə/.

a glass-sided tank, bowl, or the like, in which fish or other living aquatic animals or plants are kept.
a building or institution in which fish or other aquatic animals or plants are kept for exhibit, study, etc.

Origin of aquarium

1840–50; blend of Latin aquārius of or for water (aqu(a) water + -ārius -ary) and vivarium; cf. -arium

Related formsa·quar·i·al, adjective

Can be confusedaquarium Aquarius

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for aquaria

fishbowl

Examples from the Web for aquaria

Historical Examples of aquaria

I wish all the young people who write about aquaria could see mine.
Harper's Young People, December 28, 1880
Various
It is interesting to watch the Dragon flies through their transformations, as they can easily be kept in aquaria.
Our Common Insects
Alpheus Spring Packard
As absurd, impartially considered, as the strange creatures quaintly adapted to curious environments one saw in aquaria.
Dreamers of the Ghetto
I. Zangwill
In the following paragraphs are given directions for making the necessary live-cages and aquaria for these insects.
Elementary Zoology, Second Edition
Vernon L. Kellogg
How does Mother Nature manage the ventilation of her aquaria, the ponds and streams?
The Practical Garden-Book
C. E. Hunn

British Dictionary definitions for aquaria

aquarium

noun plural -riums or -ria (-rɪə)

a tank, bowl, or pool in which aquatic animals and plants are kept for pleasure, study, or exhibition
a building housing a collection of aquatic life, as for exhibition

Word Origin for aquarium

C19: from Latin aquārius relating to water, on the model of vivarium

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

Word Origin and History for aquaria

aquarium

1830, noun use of neuter of Latin aquarius "pertaining to water," as a noun, "water-carrier," genitive of aqua "water" (see aqua-). The word existed in Latin, but there it meant "drinking place for cattle." Originally especially for growing aquatic plants; An earlier attempt at a name for "fish tank" was marine vivarium.