vivarium
|vi-va-ri-um|
🇺🇸
/vɪˈvɛəriəm/
🇬🇧
/vɪˈveəriəm/
enclosure for living organisms
Etymology
'vivarium' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'vivarium', where 'vivus' meant 'alive' and the suffix '-arium' meant 'place for'.
'vivarium' was used in Classical and Medieval Latin to denote places where live fish or beasts were kept; it passed into Modern/Scientific English from New Latin/Modern Latin as 'vivarium'.
Initially it meant 'a place for keeping live animals (often fish or beasts)'; over time it came to be used more broadly for controlled enclosures for keeping or breeding living plants or animals for study, display, or conservation.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an enclosure, container, or place for keeping live animals or plants under conditions simulating their natural environment, used for observation, study, or display.
The university's vivarium houses several species of tropical frogs for behavioral studies.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Noun 2
a place where living organisms (especially insects, reptiles, amphibians, or small mammals) are bred or maintained for scientific, educational, or exhibition purposes.
Researchers collected specimens from the vivarium to monitor developmental stages.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/03 05:55