terrarium

[ tuh-rair-ee-uh m ]

/ təˈrɛər i əm /

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.

Nearby words

Origin of terrarium

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

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

Examples from the Web for terrarium

There is another insect out in the garden that ought to be an inmate of every terrarium this fall, the green cabbage-worm.
Cornell Nature-Study Leaflets|Various
In the bottom of the terrarium were three inches of rich soil, covered with the delicate green of sprouting grass-seed.
Cornell Nature-Study Leaflets|Various
Every one can also find crickets, and no terrarium will be complete without them.
Cornell Nature-Study Leaflets|Various
When they have been in the terrarium awhile they will show you how they like to spend the winter.
Cornell Nature-Study Leaflets|Various

After rapid nibbling it would drop the tail, and leaving it temporarily would explore the terrarium.
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

Word Origin and History for terrarium

terrarium

1890, from Modern Latin, formed from Latin terra "land" (see terrain) + -arium, abstracted from aquarium.