Museum Vocabulary

Museum: a building or institution where objects of artistic, historical, or scientific

importance and value are kept, studied, and put on display, Encarta Dictionary.
1. mission statement: noun.
Sentence: The mission statement of the Art Museum is Art for all, free of charge, and this is the reason
why the museum does not charge an admission fee. (Comound!
". curator: noun. #efinition:
sentence: The curator of the shoe museum had strangely croo$ed feet% she later confessed to me that she
always tried on the shoes &efore lacing them in the e'hi&its. (comound!
(. docent: noun. #efinition: An educated or $nowledgea&le tour guide at a museum.
). preservation: noun. The act or rocess of reser*ing, or $eeing safe% the state of &eing reser*ed, or
$et from in+ury, destruction, or decay% the act of $eeing ali*e or in e'istence% ma$e lasting: to reser*e
our li&erties as free citi,ens% to $ee safe from harm or in+ury% rotect
sentence: -ecause museums of the ast did not ha*e the modern preservation techni.ues we ha*e today,
the Mona /isa is greatly faded. (comle'!
0. artifact: noun. #efinition: an o&+ect made &y a human &eing, e.g. a tool or ornament, esecially one
that has archaeological or cultural interest
Comound or comle' sentence:
1. exhibit: verb. To dislay something, esecially a wor$ of art, in a u&lic lace such as a museum or
gallery. Noun: o&+ects dislayed in u&lic, esecially in a museum or gallery or for a show or
cometition.
2. archive: noun. #efinition: a lace where documents such as letters, official aers, hotograhs, or
recorded material are $et for their historical interest and reser*ed from deterioration.
sentence: The mummy had &een hidden in the dar$ archi*es for decades% after )3 years, we finally
&rought it out to dislay to the u&lic. (comound!
4. archivist: noun. The erson in charge of collecting, reser*ing, and organi,ing the items in an
archi*e.
5. historian: noun. #efinition: a student or e'ert in history
sentence: After 6ohn and Alan, the great Ci*il 7ar historians, wrote their &oo$ a&out women in com&at
roles, they won the 8ulit,er 8ri,e. (Comle'!

13. primary source: sentence: Sacagawea9s secret diary was the primary source needed to ro*e that
she had sa*ed 6ohn Smith9s life numerous times, and this primary source document was the &asis for
se*eral &oo$s on the su&+ect. (comound!
11. secondary source: sentence: Ms. :eininger wrote se*eral articles a&out the :e*olutionary 7ar for
the new te't&oo$% in order to create this secondary source, she had to read many rimary source
documents, including letters and diaries of soldiers. (comound!
1". heritage: noun. The history, ideas, and &eliefs that define a country or culture and that are assed
down through the generations.
sentence: ;reedom of seech is an imortant art of our American heritage although most of us ta$e this
right for granted. (comle'!
1(. oral history: noun. The ersonal recollections of eole who articiated in historical e*ents,
recorded on audio or *ideo tae or told to a younger generation.
Comound or comle' sentence:
1). philanthropy: noun. A desire to imro*e the material, social, and siritual welfare of humanity,
esecially through charita&le acti*ities.
sentence: -ill <ates9s philanthropy is famous% he and his wife, Melinda, ha*e donated &illions of dollars
to create rograms that hel eole learn to read. (comound!
10. philanthropist: noun. A erson who contri&utes time or money towards charita&le acti*ities.
11. interpretation: noun. An e'lanation of a document or artifact in order to gi*e a articular meaning
or imortance to it. (=interret9 is the *er&!
sentence: Although /eila9s interpretation of the roc$ as a sacred religious o&+ect is interesting, > would
ha*e to agree with Simone9s interpretation instead, that the roc$ was used as a weaon or tool.
(comle'!
12. portrait: noun. a ainting, hotograh, or drawing of some&ody, some&ody?s face, or a related grou
Sentence: 7hene*er > loo$ at that ortrait of A&raham /incoln, > notice the sorrow in his e'ression that
the ainter ortrayed so well. (comle'!
14. deterioration: sentence: Since the letters had e'erienced so much deterioration from &eing left in
the &asement, it was nearly imossi&le to read them.
15. culture: noun. The &eliefs, customs, ractices, and social &eha*ior of a articular nation or eole
sentence: American culture is considered a melting ot or a atchwor$ .uilt of other cultures since we
are a nation of immigrants.
"3. legacy: noun. An idea or notion that is handed down through the generations.
"1. document: noun. #efinition: a formal iece of writing that ro*ides information or acts as a record
of e*ents or arrangements
sentence: The Constitution is an imortant document in our country9s history% it states our rights and
resonsi&ilities as American citi,ens. (comound!
"". grant: noun. a sum of money gi*en &y the go*ernment or some other organi,ation to fund such
things as education or research.

"(. collection: noun. All the aintings, artifacts, documents, or other o&+ect of one $ind held &y an art
gallery or museum, groued together &y theme.
sentence: The collection of @ati*e American &eadwor$ was on dislay at the history museum% se*eral
wealthy donors had loaned the museum these artifacts for the u&lic9s erusal. (comound!
"). intern: noun. an assistant or trainee wor$ing to gain ractical e'erience in an occuation.
"0. internship: noun. An e'erience for someone to wor$ as an assistant or trainee wor$ing to gain
ractical e'erience in an occuation
sentence: 7hen Ma' got an internshi to study mummies at the Cairo museum in Agyt, he wanted to
use ancient techni.ues to mummify his guinea ig. (comle'!
"1. institution: noun. A large organi,ation that is influential in the community, e.g. a college, hosital,
&an$, museum.
Comound or comle' sentence: Museums are imortant institutions in our society% they reser*e
artifacts and documents for future generations. (comound!
"2. donor: noun. Someone who gi*es money or o&+ects of *alue to an institution.
"4. protocol: noun. The rules or con*entions of correct &eha*ior for certain situations or laces.
sentence: >t is against museum protocol to touch any of the artifacts since the oil from one9s fingers can
contri&ute to the deterioration of the o&+ects. (comle'!
"5. civiliation: noun. #efinition: an ad*anced le*el of de*eloment in society that is mar$ed &y
comle' social and olitical organi,ation, and material, scientific, and artistic rogress
(3. documentation: noun. #ocuments ro*ided or collected together as e*idence or as reference
material
sentence: Since the historian has ro*ided so much documentation to ro*e that the mummy was indeed
a Bueen, the museum officials were ready to accet this theory. (comle'!
(1. gallery: noun. a lace where artwor$ or artifacts are e'hi&ited
(". humanities: noun. #efinition: the study of su&+ects such as history, languages, and
hilosohy that in*ol*e the study of culture and ideas% (also called the li&eral arts!.
Sentence: 7hen > studied the humanities in college, > had to ta$e classes in history, literature, and art
history. (comle'!
((. endowment: noun.
Sentence: The fi*e million dollar endowment from the CocaCCola comany has ena&led the art museum
to urchase fi*e more ieces of art for their cu&ism e'hi&it although they will send most of the money
on one 8icasso. (comle'!
8eole D&+ects, laces 8rocesses >deas
Curator Artifact #ocumentation Ci*ili,ation
#ocent A'hi&it #eterioration /egacy
Eistorian Archi*e >nterretation Culture
>ntern #ocument 8reser*ation 8hilanthroy
#onor Collection Mission statement
gallery Eeritage
institution
endowment
>nternshi
8rotocol