athenaeum

or ath·e·ne·um

[ath-uh-nee-uh m, -ney-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR athenaeum ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an institution for the promotion of literary or scientific learning.

a library or reading room.

(initial capital letter) a sanctuary of Athena at Athens, built by the Roman emperor Hadrian, and frequented by poets and scholars.

Origin of athenaeum

1720–30; < Latin < Greek Athḗnaion temple of Athena, where poets read their works

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

Related Words for athenaeum

repository, office, museum, storage, library, treasury, vault, athenaeum, registry, study, atheneum, bibliotheca

Examples from the Web for athenaeum

Historical Examples of athenaeum

This piece, with the exception of a few lines, has appeared in the Athenaeum.
Poems
Matilda Betham
If you should hear who writes in the "Athenaeum" I wish you would tell me.
The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin, Volume II (of II)
Charles Darwin
I have been compelled to take in the "Athenaeum" for a while.
The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin, Volume II (of II)
Charles Darwin
We went off to the Athenaeum which is well stored with books.
A Journey to America in 1834
Robert Heywood
In the neighborhood of the Athenaeum, the cab paused, and Mike got out.
Venus in Boston;
George Thompson

British Dictionary definitions for athenaeum

athenaeum

US atheneum

noun

an institution for the promotion of learning

a building containing a reading room or library, esp one used by such an institution

Word Origin for athenaeum

C18: from Late Latin, from Greek Athēnaion temple of Athene, frequented by poets and teachers

Athenaeum

sometimes US Atheneum

noun

(in ancient Greece) a building sacred to the goddess Athena, esp the Athenian temple that served as a gathering place for the learned

(in imperial Rome) the academy of learning established near the Forum in about 135 ad by Hadrian

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 athenaeum

Athenaeum

1727, from Latinized form of Greek Athenaion "(the temple of) Athene," in ancient Athens, in which professors taught and actors or poets rehearsed. Meaning "literary club-room or reading room" is from 1799; "literary or scientific club" is from 1864.