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A comprehensive list of the most complete English museum vocabulary

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Museums is one of the more familiar topics in English that we need to grasp some basic vocabulary firmly. PREP will comprehensively compile a full list of English museum vocabulary below. Let’s find it out and practice!

Comprehensive list of 35+ museum vocabulary in English

I. Compilation of English museum vocabulary

The groups of English vocabulary related to museum are divided into the following smaller topics:

1. Vocabulary related to types of museums

Museum vocabulary	Pronunciation	Example
Art Museum	/ɑːrt mjuːˈziːəm/	The Art Museum is a place to keep beautiful works of art.
History Museum	/ˈhɪstəri mjuːˈziːəm/	The History Museum helps us learn more about the country.
Natural Museum	/ˈnætʃrəl mjuːˈziːəm/	The Natural Museum stores things related to the natural world.
Science Museum	/ˈsaɪəns mjuːˈziːəm/	The Science Museum displays valuable scientific research artifacts of the era.
Children's Museum	/ˈʧɪldrənz mjuːˈziːəm/	Poland is home to the world's first Children's Museum.
Aviation Museum	/ˌeɪviˈeɪʃən mjuːˈziːəm/	The Aviation Museum displays a lot of planes and spaceships.
Maritime Museum	/ˈmærɪtaɪm mjuːˈziːəm/	The Marine Museum stores and displays the largest and most diverse sets of marine specimens.
Archaeology Museum	/ˌɑːrkiˈɑːlədʒi mjuːˈziːəm/	The Archaeological Museum is a place where we can explore the study of human evolution and human activity in the past.
Wax Museum	/wæks mjuːˈziːəm/	Madame Tussauds Wax Museum displays thousands of wax statues of world historical figures.
Women’s museum	/ˈwɪm.ɪnz mjuːˈziːəm/	The Women's museum in the city center has a fascinating exhibit on the history of the women's suffrage movement.
Museum of Ethnology	Mjuːˈziːəm əv eθˈnɒl.ə.dʒi/	The Museum of Ethnology is a place to store and display artifacts and documents about ethnic groups.
Technology Museum	/tekˈnɒlədʒi mjuːˈziːəm/	The Technology Museum is a place to display and store modern technology products through each period.

2. Vocabulary related to art museums

The basic English vocabulary related to art museums includes:

Museum vocabulary	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example
Art collection	/ɑːrt kəˈlekʃən/	A group of artworks and objects that have been accumulated over time by a person, a family, or an institution such as a museum, gallery, etc.	The art collection on display in this museum dates back hundreds of years.
Artwork (n)	/ˈɑːrtwɜːrk/	The pieces of art, such as drawings and photographs, that are used in books, newspapers, and magazines	This is the artwork of the famous Spanish painter.
Painter (n)	/ˈpeɪntər/	Someone who paints pictures	Vincent van Gogh is a famous Dutch painter.
Sculptor (n)	/ˈskʌlptər/	Someone who creates sculptures	Donatello was a pioneer sculptor in the promotion of Italian Renaissance art and culture.
Canvas (n)	/ˈkænvæs/	Strong, rough cloth used for making tents, sails, bags, strong clothes, etc.	This canvas was painted 30 years ago.
Palette (n)	/ˈpælɪt/	The range of colours that a painter, photographer, film maker, etc. usually uses	The art exhibition features a variety of palettes.
Impressionism (n)	/ɪmˈpreʃənɪzm/	A style of painting, which began in France in the 1860s, in which the artist tries to represent the effects of light on an object, person, area of countryside, etc.	This art exhibition is designed in an impressionism.
Contemporary art	/kənˈtempəreri ɑːrt/	Art produced at this present time. It covers those artworks produced from approximately the 1960s onwards to the present day.	Contemporary art is more innovative than ancient art.

3. Vocabulary related to history museums

Below is a comprehensive list of English vocabulary related to history museums that you should be familiar with:

Museum vocabulary	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example
Artifact (n)	/ˈɑːrtɪfækt/	An object, such as a tool, that was made in the past	The History Museum is a place to keep a lot of precious ancient artifacts.
Archaeology (n)	/ˌɑːrkiˈɑːlədʒi/	The study of the buildings, graves, tools, and other objects that belonged to people who lived in the past, to learn about their culture and society	The History Museum is a place to display archeology artifacts.
Antiquity (n)	/ænˈtɪkwəti/	An object that was created a very long time ago	The History Museum has a lot of precious antiquities that have existed for hundreds of years.
Preservation (n)	/ˌprez.ərˈveɪ.ʃə/	The act of keeping something the same or of preventing it from being damaged	The History Museum plays a crucial role in the preservation of culture and history of the nation.
Historian (n)	/hɪsˈtɔːr.i.ən/	Someone who writes about or studies history	The renowned historian was invited to give a lecture at the university about the pivotal events of the civil war.
Heritage (n)	/ˈher.ɪ.tɪdʒ/	Features belonging to the culture of a particular society, such as traditions, languages, or buildings, that were created in the past and still have historical importance	Visiting the History Museum, we will admire countless impressive heritage sites.
Archive (in)	/ˈɑːrkaɪv/	A collection of historical records relating to a place, organization, or family	The national library archives historical newspapers, manuscripts, and photos, offering researchers a valuable resource for studying the country's cultural history.
Restoration (n)	/ˌres.təˈreɪ.ʃən/	The act or process of returning something to its earlier good condition or position, or to its owner	In this project, the organization has undertaken a major restoration of the cultural heritage.

4. Other museum-related vocabulary

You can also refer to the following additional English vocabulary terms related to museums:

Museum vocabulary	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example
Curator (n)	/ˈkjʊr.eɪ.t̬ɚ/	A person in charge of a museum, library, etc.	The museum curators have the power to decide how it operates and set the rules for visitors.
Exhibition (n)	/ˌek.səˈbɪʃ.ən/	An event at which objects such as paintings are shown to the public	Art exhibitions attract a lot of young people.
Audio guide	/ˈɑː.di.oʊ ɡaɪd/	A handheld device used by visitors at museums, historical sites, and other attractions to provide commentary or additional information about exhibits.	History museums all have audio guides.
Admission (ticket) (n)	/ədˈmɪʃ.ən/	The money that you pay to enter a place	You need to buy an admission (ticket) to the museum.
Membership card	/ˈmem.bɚ.ʃɪp/	A small piece of plastic or stiff paper that shows you are a member of a group or organization	With a membership card, you will receive a 30% discount when entering the Nature Museum.
Donor	/ˈdoʊ.nɚ/	A person who gives some of their blood or a part of their body to help someone who is ill	He is the main donor for this exhibition.
Exhibit designer	/ɪɡˈzɪbɪt dɪˈzaɪnɚ/	A creative professional responsible for conceptualizing, designing, and producing museum exhibits and displays	Art exhibit designers need to be meticulous and have good taste.

II. English dialogue about museums

Below is a basic English dialogue about museums that you should read to apply in reality:

Museum curators: Hi, how many people would you like to buy admission tickets for?
Visitor: I want to buy tickets for 2 people. Can you tell me the closing hours of this Art Museum?
Museum curators: The Art Museum will close at 8pm.
Visitor: Does the museum display contemporary art?
Museum curators: Yes, we have. We also have artwork from the Renaissance.
Visitor: Oh thank you!

III. Strategies for learning museum vocabulary in English

To effectively learn and remember museum vocabulary in English, here are some tips you can apply:

1. Dividing study time/daily vocabulary load

First, you need to learn how to balance study time and the number of vocabulary to learn each day. Dividing time and content appropriately helps increase knowledge retention.

For example: On Monday you study 5 vocabulary about museum types, and on Tuesday you study 5 more words about museum types. Then on Wednesday, you study 3 new words about history museums while also reviewing the 5 words from Monday. This prevents being overwhelmed by too much content at once, and this spaced repetition method that you will study on different days enhances your memorization.

2. Regularly applying vocabulary in real-life practice

The most effective method to learn vocabulary is by applying it in real-life contexts through specific scenarios. Therefore, you should prioritize using newly learned words immediately in daily situations, such as choosing museum-related topics for speaking practice and using the English vocabulary about museums that were studied.

Or when visiting museums, you can use English to name the artifacts. With this habit of regular application in practice, you will develop the most natural English reflexes.

3. Expanding vocabulary learning with PREP

At PREP, vocabulary courses are divided into learning tracks from basic to advanced levels. The courses provide a comprehensive range of topics covering the most common and frequently used vocabulary in daily life to subjects often seen in exams. In addition to learning words, Prep also guides effective vocabulary learning methods for you.

4. Learning English museum vocabulary through mind maps

Learning vocabulary through mind maps is a very familiar method. Studying this way helps increase holistic memorization ability, and lengthens vocabulary retention time.

For the topic of English museum vocabulary, you can apply mind mapping like this:

First, take the main topic as English museum vocabulary.
Then divide smaller branches by themes: English vocabulary about types of museums, English vocabulary about history museums, English vocabulary about art museums, and other museum-related vocabulary.
In each branch, when developing English museum vocabulary, fill in pronunciation, meaning, and examples to more easily visualize each vocabulary word!

Learning English museum vocabulary through mind maps

IV. Exercises to apply English museum vocabulary

Let’s practice the exercise below to apply what you've learned about English museum vocabulary!

1. Exercises

Fill in the following English museum vocabulary in the appropriate blank boxes:

Science Museum, Art Museum, Aviation Museum, Maritime Museum, Museum of Ethnology

1. The_____is a place to display documents and heritages of 54 ethnic groups.

2. _____ is a place to store scientific research products from time to time.

3. The_____displays a wide variety of marine life.

4. The_____displays a lot of impressive art products.

5. The_____has a lot of aircraft from the wartime.

2. Answer

1. Museum of Ethnology

2. Science Museum

3. Maritime Museum

4. Art Museum

5. Aviation Museum

This article above is all the knowledge related to English museum vocabulary that you should save. Let’s apply appropriate learning methods to utilize vocabulary more effectively!

Master Tu Pham

Founder/CEO at Prep

Founder of Prep Smart Test Preparation Platform. With over 10 years of experience in teaching and test preparation, Mr. Tú has helped thousands of students achieve high scores in the IELTS exam. In addition, Mr. Tú Phạm is also a consulting expert in British Council programs and a speaker at many leading educational events, programs, and conferences.