terrarium

[ tuh-rair-ee-uhm ]

/ təˈrɛər i əm /

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noun, plural ter·rar·i·ums, ter·rar·i·a

[tuh-rair-ee-uh]. /təˈrɛər i ə/.

a vivarium for land animals (distinguished from aquarium).

a glass container, chiefly or wholly enclosed, for growing and displaying plants.

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Origin of terrarium

First recorded in 1885–90; terr(a) + -arium

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use terrarium in a sentence

A nonacademic once translated what I did as building and observing economic terraria.
Why Do We Want Prices in Health Care?|Megan McArdle|February 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Some of those obtained were kept under observation in terraria where their behavior was studied.
Life History and Ecology of the Five-lined Skink, Eumeces fasciatus|Henry S. Fitch
Evidently normal room temperatures were maintained in the laboratory where the terraria were kept.
Life History and Ecology of the Five-lined Skink, Eumeces fasciatus|Henry S. Fitch
The females occasionally left their nests, especially in late afternoon, to wander about the terraria, and to bask in sunlight.
Life History and Ecology of the Five-lined Skink, Eumeces fasciatus|Henry S. Fitch

Wasps (Polistes) placed in terraria were avoided, as were carabid beetles and reduviid bugs.
Life History and Ecology of the Five-lined Skink, Eumeces fasciatus|Henry S. Fitch
Small snakes such as Diadophis, Carphophis, and Storeria placed in terraria with the skinks evoked no strong reaction.
Life History and Ecology of the Five-lined Skink, Eumeces fasciatus|Henry S. Fitch

British Dictionary definitions for terrarium

terrarium

/ (tɛˈrɛərɪəm) /

noun plural -rariums or -raria (-ˈrɛərɪə)

an enclosure for keeping small land animals

a glass container, often a globe, in which plants are grown

Word Origin for terrarium

C19: New Latin, from Latin terra earth

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