museum

English Online Dictionary. What means museum‎? What does museum mean?

English

Alternative forms

• musæum (archaic)

Etymology

From Latin mūsēum (“library, study”), from Ancient Greek Μουσεῖον (Mouseîon), shrine of the Muses (Μοῦσα (Moûsa)).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /mjuːˈziːəm/, /mjəˈziːəm/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /mjuˈziəm/
• (US, dialectal) IPA^(key): /mjuˈzæm/, [mjuˈzɛəm]
• (Indic) IPA^(key): /ˈmjuːziəm/
• Rhymes: -iːəm

Noun

museum (plural museums or musea)

2. A building or institution dedicated to the acquisition, conservation, study, exhibition, and educational interpretation of objects having scientific, historical, cultural or artistic value.

Usage notes

The plural "musea" has always been very rare in English.

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

• → Malay: muzium

Translations

Verb

museum (third-person singular simple present museums, present participle museuming, simple past and past participle museumed)

1. (ambitransitive) To place in a museum.
2. (intransitive, colloquial) To visit museums.

References

• “museum, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, May 2022: “Brit. /mjuːˈziːəm/, /mjᵿˈziːəm/, U.S. /mjuˈziəm/”

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch museum, from Latin museum.

Pronunciation

Noun

museum (plural museums)

1. museum

Hyponyms

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin mūsēum, from Ancient Greek Μουσεῖον (Mouseîon, “a shrine of the Muses”), from Μοῦσα (Moûsa, “Muse”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [muˈsɛːɔm]

Noun

museum n (definite singular museet, indefinite plural museer, definite plural museerne)

1. museum

Declension

References

• “museum” in Den Danske Ordbog

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin museum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌmyˈzeː.ʏm/
• Hyphenation: mu‧se‧um

Noun

museum n (plural musea or museums, diminutive museumpje n)

1. museum

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Descendants

• Afrikaans: museum
• → Malay: museum
  • Indonesian: museum

Indonesian

Etymology

Inherited from Malay museum, from Dutch museum, from Latin museum, from Ancient Greek Μουσεῖον (Mouseîon, “a shrine of the Muses”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [mʊˈsjʊm], [muˈseʊm]
• Rhymes: -ʊm, -m
• Hyphenation: mu‧sé‧um

Noun

museum (plural museum-museum)

1. museum: a building or institution dedicated to the acquisition, conservation, study, exhibition, and educational interpretation of objects having scientific, historical, cultural or artistic value

Alternative forms

• musium
• muzium (Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore)

Affixed terms

Compounds

References

Further reading

• “museum” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Latin

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Μουσεῖον (Mouseîon, “a shrine of the Muses”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [muːˈseː.ũː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [muˈs̬ɛː.um]

Noun

mūsēum n (genitive mūsēī); second declension

1. a place or temple devoted to the Muses
2. collection, especially a private collection of scientific curiosities, instruments, etc.

3. library, a collection of books
4. museum

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

References

• "museum", in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• “museum”, in The Perseus Project (1999) Perseus Encyclopedia‎^[1]
• “museum”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper’s Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “museum”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin

Malay

Etymology

From Dutch museum, from Latin museum, from Ancient Greek Μουσεῖον (Mouseîon, “a shrine of the Muses”). First attested in the Kitab Vortaro published in 1923. Doublet of muzium.

Noun

museum (Jawi spelling موسيوم, plural museum-museum)

1. (Indonesia) museum: a building or institution dedicated to the acquisition, conservation, study, exhibition, and educational interpretation of objects having scientific, historical, cultural or artistic value.

   Synonyms: muzium, ajaibkhanah

Alternative forms

• muzium (Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore)

References

Norwegian Bokmål

Alternative forms

• musé

Noun

museum n (definite singular museet, indefinite plural museer, definite plural musea or museene)

1. a museum

Derived terms

• friluftsmuseum
• kunstmuseum

References

• “museum” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

• muse, musé

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mʉˈseːʉm/

Noun

museum n (definite singular museet, indefinite plural museum, definite plural musea)

1. a museum

Derived terms

• friluftsmuseum
• kunstmuseum

References

• “museum” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin museum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɵˈseːˌɵm/

Noun

museum n

1. a museum

Usage notes

As the first part of a compound, the form musei- is used.

Declension

Related terms

References

• museum in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• museum in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• museum in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

West Frisian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /myˈseːəm/

Noun

museum n (plural museums or musea, diminutive museumke)

1. museum