menagerie

WOTD - 5 July 2010    

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA: /mɪˈnædʒərɪ/

• Audio (US)

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Noun

menagerie (plural menageries)

1. A collection of live wild animals on exhibition; the enclosure where they are kept.
   • 1949 - Bruce Kiskaddon, George R. Stewart Earth Abides

     In Sacramento a crazed woman opened the cages of a circus menagerie for fear the animals might starve to death, and had been mauled by a lioness.

2. A diverse or miscellaneous group.

Translations

collection of live wild animals on exhibition; the enclosure where they are kept

Armenian: գազանանոց (hy) (gazananoc’) Finnish: eläintarha (fi) French: ménagerie (fr) Italian: serraglio (it) Latin: vīvārium (la) n.

Romanian: menajerie (ro) f. Russian: зверинец (ru) m. Spanish: casa de fieras (es) Volapük: nimikonlet (vo)

diverse or miscellaneous group

Finnish: sekalainen (fi) joukko (fi)