-arium


a suffix occurring in loanwords from Latin, which often denote a location or receptacle (armarium; caldarium; solarium; vivarium). It has limited productivity in English, especially in words denoting an artificial environment for plants or animals, on the model of vivarium or herbarium: aquarium; insectarium; terrarium.
Compare -ary.

Origin of -arium

< Latin -ārium; see -ary

Words nearby -arium

British Dictionary definitions for -arium

-arium

suffix forming nouns

indicating a place for or associated with something aquarium; planetarium; solarium

Word Origin for -arium

from Latin -ārium, neuter of -ārius -ary