Define menagerie

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A menagerie is a collection of captive animals, frequently exotic, kept for display; or the place where such a collection is kept, a precursor to the modern zoo or zoological garden. The term was first used in 17th-century France , referring to the management of household or domestic stock. Later, it came to be used primarily in reference to aristocratic or royal animal collections. The French-language Methodical Encyclopaedia of defines a menagerie as an "establishment of luxury and curiosity". Later on, the term referred also to travelling animal collections that exhibited wild animals at fairs across Europe and the Americas. A menagerie was mostly connected with an aristocratic or royal court and was situated within a garden or park of a palace. These aristocrats wanted to illustrate their power and wealth by displaying exotic animals which were uncommon, difficult to acquire, and expensive to maintain in a living and active state.

Define menagerie

Infinitive or -ing verb? Avoiding common mistakes with verb patterns 1. Add to word list Add to word list. Compare zoo. Animal groupings. Examples of menagerie. But as ' civilization advanced and the progress of society favoured the development of the mind ' a new type of menagerie appeared. From the Cambridge English Corpus. And he apparently had experience with a floating menagerie. So as to study them in their ways, in their characters, it would be necessary to have aviaries, fishponds, menageries. These tensions related to the broader theme of how menageries made colonial territories more familiar. I wonder how many people really appreciate what a fantastic menagerie of electronic ingenuity the guided projectile is.

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This second meaning was eventually generalized to refer to any varied mixture, especially one that includes things that are strange or foreign to one's experience. These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'menagerie. Send us feedback about these examples. Accessed 26 Feb. Nglish: Translation of menagerie for Spanish Speakers. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! See Definitions and Examples ».

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Define menagerie

English Dictionary. Word Lists. Grammar English Easy Learning Grammar. Grammar Patterns. English Usage. Teaching Resources. Video Guides.

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Synonyms of menagerie. Trends of menagerie. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors. Buon appetito! My word lists. Mandarin Chinese characters. Follow us. English Pronunciation. Word Frequency. At the beginning of the 12th century, Henry I of England is known to have kept a collection of animals at his palace in Woodstock , Oxfordshire , reportedly including lions , leopards , lynxes , camels , owls , and a porcupine. Tools to create your own word lists and quizzes. The sentence contains offensive content. Translations Click on the arrows to change the translation direction. At his manor, Woodstock, he began a collection of exotic animals. The Words of the Week - Feb.

A collection of live wild animals on exhibition. All rights reserved. Zoology a collection of wild animals kept for exhibition.

Toggle limited content width. Also in North America travelling menageries became even more popular during that time. The most spectacular arrivals in the early years were a white bear and an elephant, gifts from the kings of Norway and France in and in respectively. Translations Click on the arrows to change the translation direction. My word lists. All these little lessons that we learn are taught us by zoos and by menageries; and, properly managed, they are good things. Did you know? Play Play. Chinese English to Simplified. Translator tool. Collins Word of the Day. Missing Letter A crossword with a twist Play. In , for instance, the ambassador of Persia enjoyed the spectacle of a fight to the death between a royal tiger and an elephant. Grammar Patterns.