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

The slide collection included thousands of samples and had been at the museum for decades. —Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 10 Feb. 2025

Zoom in: Vice President JD Vance, who had a stint in tech investing, will attend the AI Action Summit, which will gather heads of state and top government officials at the Grand Palais museum in Paris on Monday and Tuesday. —Mike Allen, Axios, 8 Feb. 2025

Admission is $5 and includes light refreshments, puzzles to work on and a museum to explore. —Kay Johnson, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025

Its stops include five observatories, a planetarium, and a space museum, two state parks, and Saguaro National Park (which was certified as the newest Urban Night Sky Place in late 2023). —Mark Ellwood, AFAR Media, 7 Feb. 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

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.