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
• salon

Examples of museum in a Sentence

a museum of natural history

a trip to the Museum of Natural History

Recent Examples on the Web

Come eclipse time, folks can head to the museum’s outdoor patio to see nature’s own art show. —Melissa Locker, TIME, 6 Apr. 2024

World & Nation Rescuers in Taiwan search for missing or stranded people after major earthquake kills 10 April 4, 2024 The museum was housed on a plain business campus with none of the ostentation and branding excess of American tech campuses. —Frank Shyong, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024

Tickets are $10 plus fees, which pays for entrance to the museum and the presentation. —Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024

And many visitors to the museum try to do just that. —Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024

Atha bequeathed the painting to the museum as a partial gift in 1986. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024

In the winter, Art Hill—just behind the museum—is the best place to sled on a good snow day. —Vogue, 3 Apr. 2024

The last public event held at the museum was a memorial in her honor packed with hundreds of people. —Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2024

Griffin has just returned from a weekend getaway to Storm King Art Center, an open-air garden museum in upstate New York that features the largest collection of contemporary outdoor sculptures in the country. —Essence, 2 Apr. 2024

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

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.