museum

noun

mu·​se·​um myu̇-ˈzē-əm 

: an institution devoted to the procurement, care, study, and display of objects of lasting interest or value

American Museum of Natural History

also : a place where objects are exhibited

an art museum

Synonyms

• gallery
• exhibition

Examples of museum in a Sentence

a museum of natural history

a trip to the Museum of Natural History

Recent Examples on the Web

Finding one last meditation on the beauty of Majorca, head to Palma’s western outskirts by car to visit the Fundació Miró Mallorca, a museum on the property where the 20th-century Spanish painter Joan Miró lived and worked during the final years of his life. —Emilio Parra Doiztua, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025

To date, the Fund has raised nearly $200 million and supported more than 378 preservation projects nationwide, including churches, museums, homes, and architectural landmarks significant to the Black experience. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2025

To that end, the organization works in partnership with archives, film libraries, museums and studios to restore works and develop access strategies through programming in festivals, cinematheques and educational institutions around the world. —Ed Meza, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025

While the museum boasts one of the greatest collections of art in the world, the main attraction for many people (including me on my first-ever trip abroad) is the Sistine Chapel, with its massive ceiling frescoes painted by Michelangelo at the start of the 16th century. —Big Think, 14 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin Museum place for learned occupation, from Greek Mouseion, from neuter of Mouseios of the Muses, from Mousa

First Known Use

circa 1660, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing museum

• historical museum
• museum piece
• wax museum

Rhymes for museum

• corneum
• hordeum
• luteum
• lyceum
• athenaeum
• coliseum
• colosseum
• mausoleum
• mycelium
• endothelium
• periosteum
• peritoneum

Kids Definition

museum

noun

mu·​se·​um myu̇-ˈzē-əm 

: a building in which interesting and valuable things (as works of art or historical or scientific objects) are collected and shown to the public

Etymology

from Latin Museum "a place devoted to the Muses, a place for the study of special arts and sciences," from Greek Mouseion (same meaning), from Mouseios "of the Muses," from Mousa "Muse, goddess of an art or science" — related to music

Word Origin

The ancient Greeks worshipped nine sister goddesses, each of whom was called a Mousa. In English we now refer to them as the Muses. The Greeks believed that each Muse was the goddess of a particular art or science. A place that was dedicated to these goddesses—and to the arts and sciences for which they stood—was called a Mouseion. The Greek Mouseion became Museum in Latin, from which it was borrowed into English about 300 years ago.