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.

RELATED WORDS

fishbowl

Nearby words

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

Examples from the Web for aquaria

When aquaria first came into favour such things as snails and weeds were excluded as eyesores and injurious.
The Open Air|Richard Jefferies
In addition there were Aquaria with fishes arranged in groups at various spots all round the garden.
Narrative of the Circumnavigation of the Globe by the Austrian Frigate Novara, Volume I|Karl Ritter von Scherzer
Observations in aquaria have shown that the young Pholas begins his process of home-building very early in life.
The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide|Augusta Foote Arnold
The ancient Romans have noted that eels, kept in aquaria, could reach the age of sixty years.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 8|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

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.