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 Word Forms

• intermuseum 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

It's very rare for a community to take such a measure, but talking to Marieke Verweij, director of the village's museum, you can understand why they want to do this.

From BBC

“These are great for classrooms, museums, labs, retail.”

From Los Angeles Times

Equal parts whimsical and curated, the space landed visually somewhere between a kindergarten classroom and a museum gallery.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s easy to imagine Hollywood one day making an apocalyptic film that features the abandoned landscape with only these museum relics still standing — and “Split-Rocker” erupting in explosive, unkempt flowers.

From Los Angeles Times

The men and women shown milling about and idly gazing — which we are now doing in the museum — become projections of us.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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