Etymologically
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museum

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [muːˈseː.ũː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [muˈs̬ɛː.um][1]

Forms

mūsēum n (genitive mūsēī); second declension[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek Μουσεῖον (Mouseîon, “shrine of the Muses”),[2][1][3] from Μοῦσα (Moûsa, “Muse”).[4][5] Variant spellings are mūsaeum and mūsīum.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Varro, in his book on farming, uses it of a place for learned pursuits.[3][6] Köbler dates Varro 116–27 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It was a place sacred to the Muses, especially a building for study, a library or academy.[2][3] Suetonius uses it in the life of Claudius, and the Historia Augusta in that of Hadrian.[3][6] Pliny the Elder uses it of a grotto.[3]

In Neo-Latin it was also a private collection of curiosities and a library.[1] English museum is recorded in the 1610s for the university building at Alexandria, and later for libraries and collections.[4]

Timeline

  • 116–27 BC – Varro uses it.[3][5]
  • 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder uses it of a grotto.[3][5]
  • c. 75–c. 150 AD – Suetonius uses it.[3][5]
  • 1610s – English museum is recorded.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A place sacred to the Muses; a place of study, library, academy.[2][3]
  2. A grotto.[3]
  3. (New Latin) A collection of curiosities, a museum.[1]

Usage notes

The OLD lists a separate word mūsēum or mūsaeum “mosaic work”, probably foreign, of uncertain spelling, which the Historia Augusta uses.[2][7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  7. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.