Smithsonian

English

Etymology

Smithson +‎ -ian

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -əʊniən

Adjective

Smithsonian (comparative more Smithsonian, superlative most Smithsonian)

1. Of or pertaining to James Smithson (c.1765–1829), British mineralogist and chemist whose bequest was used to set up the Smithsonian Institution in the United States.

Translations

of or pertaining to James Smithson

• Spanish: smithsoniano

Proper noun

the Smithsonian

1. The Smithsonian Institution, a group of museums and research centers established in 1846 and administered by the United States government.
   • 1991, U.S. News & World Report, volume 116, numbers 9-16, page 72:

     Published in 1982, the now out-of-print computer guide is a real relic, full of dozens of black-and-white pictures of large, bulky computers that you would sooner find in the Smithsonian than on anybody's desk today.