Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “aquarium” come from?

Aquarium comes from Latin aquarium, from Latin aqua meaning water combined with the Latin suffix -arius, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European h₂ekʷeh₂.

aquarium (English): A tank, often made of glass, for keeping live...

Definitions

  1. A tank, often made of glass, for keeping live...

Ancestry of “aquarium”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinaquārius—
2Latinaquawater
3Proto-Italicakʷāwater
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ekʷeh₂water, flowing water

Words derived from “aquarium”

  • aquariumlike
  • nonaquarium
  • aquaria
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ekʷeh₂ →