aquarium
/əˈkwɛɹ.i.jəm/ noun
Forms aquaria aquariums
- noun A tank, often made of glass, for keeping live fish or other aquatic animals.
- noun A public place where live fish and other aquatic animals are exhibited.
Synonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin aquārium, neuter of aquārius (“of or pertaining to water”), from aqua + -arium. Doublet of ewer; see also Aquarius. Also claimed to be coined by English naturalist Philip Henry Gosse, as a blend of aquatic + vivarium.
Webster’s 1913
- noun An artificial pond, or a globe or tank (usually with glass sides), in which living specimens of aquatic animals or plants are kept.
Etymology [L. See Aquarius, Ewer.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “aquarium”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details