Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

menagerie

/məˈnæd͡ʒəɹi/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.85 in modern English

Syllables: me-na-ger-ie
IPA: /məˈnæd͡ʒəɹi/

12

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

4

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A collection of live wild animals as an exhibition historically associated with the aristocracy and considered a precursor of modern zoos.

noun

The enclosure where they are kept.

noun

A diverse or miscellaneous group.

noun

The orchestra of a theatre.

Obsolete; Slang

Example Sentences

"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."
"[Brigitte] Bardot, the stunning, desirable beauty who once stood for sexual freedom for women, spent the latter part of her life at her home near Saint Tropez with her husband and a menagerie of pets."

Etymology

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

Origin

Source language: French

Word Breakdown

Root: ménagerie

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /məˈnæd͡ʒəɹi/

Usage

Inflected Forms

menageries (plural) ménagerie (alternative)

Derived Forms

menagerist

Frequently Paired Words

aviary conservatory

Synonyms

zoo zoological garden assortment motley crew hodgepodge melange

Questions

How do you pronounce menagerie?: The recorded pronunciation is /məˈnæd͡ʒəɹi/.
What does menagerie mean?: A collection of live wild animals as an exhibition historically associated with the aristocracy and considered a precursor of modern zoos.
Where does menagerie come from?: It is traced to French.

How to pronounce menagerie

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “menagerie”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/məˈnæd͡ʒəɹi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “menagerie”.
Repeat and practice — Say “menagerie” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.