Etymology

aquarium

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Today it means: A tank, often made of glass, for keeping live fish or other aquatic animals. Full definition →

Latin aquārium ← Proto-Italic *akʷā ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂ékʷeh₂
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ékʷeh₂
  2. Proto-Italic*akʷā
  3. Latinaqua
  4. Latinaquārium
  5. English todayaquarium

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.

Words from the same roots

Latinaquārium all →

ewer

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.