Smithsonian

S1M3I1T1H4S1O1N1I1A1N1
UK/smɪθˈsəʊni.ən/

adjective

Of or pertaining to James Smithson (c.1765–1829), British mineralogist and chemist whose bequest was used to set up the Smithsonian Institution in the United States.

CommonScrabble 16

Meanings

adjectiveSmithsonian (comparative more Smithsonian, superlative most Smithsonian)

comparative more Smithsonian · superlative most Smithsonian

  1. Of or pertaining to James Smithson (c.1765–1829), British mineralogist and chemist whose bequest was used to set up the Smithsonian Institution in the United States.
proper nounthe Smithsonian
  1. The Smithsonian Institution, a group of museums and research centers established in 1846 and administered by the United States government.

    Published in 1982, the now out-of-print computer guide is a real relic, full of dozens of black-and-white pictures of large, bulky computers that you would sooner find in the Smithsonian than on anybody's desk today.

    1991, U.S. News & World Report, volume 116, numbers 9-16, page 72

Origin

Translations

Spanish smithsoniano
  • smithsonianoof or pertaining to James Smithson

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with Smithsonian

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Cite this entry
APA

Smithsonian. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Smithsonian

MLA

“Smithsonian.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Smithsonian. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Smithsonian,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Smithsonian.

Source: Smithsonian on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.