Etymology

menagerie

me·na·ger·ie
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Today it means: A collection of live wild animals as an exhibition historically associated with the aristocracy and considered a precursor of modern zoos. Full definition →

French ménagerie
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The story

  1. French · borrowed fromménagerie
  2. English todaymenagerie

From French ménagerie, derived from ménager (“to keep house”), household. Housekeeping used to include taking care of domestic animals.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.