The story
From a New Latin term coined by the institution's founders; by surface analysis, mundan(us) + -eum, reflecting their cosmopolitan (internationalist and supranational) aspirations.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Today it means: An institution created in 1910 that attempted to store and classify the world's knowledge. Full definition →
From a New Latin term coined by the institution's founders; by surface analysis, mundan(us) + -eum, reflecting their cosmopolitan (internationalist and supranational) aspirations.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.