book

See also: Book

English

Pronunciation

enPR: bo͝ok, IPA(key): /bʊk/

Audio (UK) 0:02

(file)

Audio (US) 0:01

(file)
 enPR: bo͞ok IPA(key): /buːk/ (parts of
Northern England; otherwise obsolete)

IPA(key): /bɵk/ (Pacific Northwest

English) [1]
Homophone: buck (accents without the
foot–⁠strut split)

Rhymes: -ʊk

Etymology 1

From Middle English bok, book, from Old

English bōc, from Proto-West Germanic
*bōk, from Proto-Germanic *bōks. Eclipsed
non-native Middle English livret, lyveret
(“book, booklet”) from Old French livret
(“book, booklet”). Bookmaker sense by
clipping.

Alternative forms

boke (obsolete)
booke (archaic)
Noun

A hard-cover book
 The coat of arms of Oxford (like
several other universities) depicts a
book.

book (plural books)

1. A collection of sheets of paper bound

together to hinge at one edge,
containing printed or written material,
pictures, etc. quotations ▼
She opened the book to page 37
and began to read aloud.
He was frustrated because he
couldn't find anything about
 dinosaurs in the book.
2. A long work fit for publication,
typically prose, such as a novel or
textbook, and typically published as
such a bound collection of sheets,
but now sometimes electronically as
an e-book. quotations ▼
I have three copies of his first
book.

3. A major division of a long work.

synonyms ▲
Genesis is the first book of the
Bible.
Many readers find the first book
of A Tale of Two Cities to be
 confusing.
Synonyms: tome, volume
4.
5. (gambling) A record of betting (from
the use of a notebook to record what
each person has bet).
I'm running a book on who is
going to win the race.

6. (informal) A bookmaker (a person

who takes bets on sporting events
and similar); bookie; turf accountant.
7. A convenient collection, in a form
resembling a book, of small paper
items for individual use. synonym ▲
a book of stamps
 a book of raffle tickets
Synonym: booklet
8. (theater) The script of a musical or
opera. synonym ▲ quotations ▼
Synonym: libretto

9. (usually in the plural) Records of the

accounts of a business. synonyms ▲
Synonyms: account, record

10. (law, colloquial) A book award, a

recognition for receiving the highest
grade in a class (traditionally an
actual book, but recently more likely a
letter or certificate acknowledging
the achievement).
11. (whist) Six tricks taken by one side.
12. (poker slang) Four of a kind.[2]
13. (sports) A document, held by the
referee, of the incidents happened in
the game.
14. (sports, by extension) A list of all
players who have been booked
(received a warning) in a game.
quotations ▼
15. (cartomancy) The twenty-sixth
Lenormand card.
16. (figurative) Any source of instruction.
17. (with "the") The accumulated body of
knowledge passed down among
black pimps. quotations ▼
 18. (advertising, informal) A portfolio of
one's previous work in the industry.
quotations ▼
19. (chess, uncountable) The sum of
chess knowledge in the opening or
endgame. quotations ▼
The opposite-colored bishops
endgame is usually a book draw.
A book move
out of book

Synonyms

See Thesaurus:book

Hyponyms

See Thesaurus:book
Derived terms

ABC book
absey-book
absey book
show more ▼

Descendants

Sranan Tongo: buku

Tok Pisin: buk
→ Rotokas: vuku
→ Chichewa: buku
→ Hawaiian: puke
→ Malagasy: boky
→ Maori: pukapuka (with reduplication)
 → Marshallese: bok
→ Motu: buka
→ Malagasy: boky
→ Shona: bhuku
→ Somali: buugga
→ Sotho: buka (possibly also from
Afrikaans boek)
→ Zulu: ibhuku (possibly also from
Afrikaans boek)

Translations
See book/translations § Noun.

See also

incunable
 scroll
tome
volume

Etymology 2

From Middle English booken, boken, from

Old English bōcian, ġebōcian, from the
noun (see above).

Verb

book (third-person singular simple present

books, present participle booking, simple
past and past participle booked)

1.
2. (transitive) To reserve (something) for
future use. quotations ▼
I want to book a hotel room for
tomorrow night.
I can book tickets for the concert
next week.

synonym ▲
Synonym: reserve

3. (transitive) To write down, to register

or record in a book or as in a book.
synonyms ▲
They booked that message from
the hill
Synonyms: make a note of, note
down, record, write down
4. (transitive) To add a name to the list
of people who are participating in
something. synonyms ▲
I booked a flight to New York.
Synonyms: sign up, register,
reserve, schedule, enroll

5. (law enforcement, transitive) To

record the name and other details of
a suspected offender and the offence
for later judicial action.
The police booked him for driving
too fast.

6. (sports) To issue a caution to, usually

a yellow card, or a red card if a yellow
card has already been issued.
 7. (intransitive, slang) To travel very fast.
synonyms ▲
He was really booking, until he
passed the speed trap.
Synonyms: bomb, hurtle, rocket,
speed, shoot, whiz

8. To record bets as bookmaker.

9. (transitive, law student slang) To
receive the highest grade in a class.
The top three students had a bet
on which one was going to book
their intellectual property class.

10. (intransitive, slang) To leave.

 He was here earlier, but he
booked.

Derived terms

Terms derived from the verb “book”

block-book
bookable
book in
show more ▼

Translations
See book/translations § Verb.

Etymology 3

From Middle English book, bok, from Old

English bōc, from Proto-Germanic *bōk,
first and third person singular indicative
past tense of Proto-Germanic *bakaną (“to
bake”).

Verb

book

1. (UK dialectal, Northern England)

simple past of bake

References

1. ^ “Book (https://books.google.com/bo
oks?id=HE8OAAAAQAAJ&pg=PT13
7) ” in John Walker, A Critical
Pronouncing Dictionary […] , London:
Sold by G. G. J. and J. Robinſon,
 Paternoſter Row; and T. Cadell, in the
Strand, 1791, →OCLC (https://www.wo
rldcat.org/title/37805775) , page 118,
column 2.
2. ^ Weisenberg, Michael (2000) The
Official Dictionary of Poker (http://ww
w.poker1.com/mcu/pokerdictionary/m
culib_dictionary_info.asp) . MGI/Mike
Caro University. →ISBN

Anagrams

Boko, Koob, boko, bòkò, kobo

Chinese

Alternative forms

卜
Etymology

From English book.

Pronunciation

Cantonese (Jyutping): buk1 more ▼

Verb

book
 1. (Hong Kong Cantonese, colloquial) to
book; to reserve

Related terms

booking

Limburgish

Alternative forms

bouk (Sittard, amongst other dialects)

Bouk (Eupen)
Bock (Krefeld)

Etymology

From Middle Low German bôk, from Old

Saxon bōk, from Proto-West Germanic
*bōk, from Proto-Germanic *bōks.

Pronunciation

IPA(key): /boːk/
Hyphenation: book

Rhymes: -oːk

Noun

book n

1. (many dialects) book

Declension
Declension of book (neuter) in show ▼
Limburgish.
Derived terms

bokebazel
bokebijeinzeumering
bokebon
show more ▼

Mansaka

Noun

book

1. piece
Middle English

Etymology 1

Noun

book

1. Alternative form of bok

Etymology 2

Noun

book

1. Alternative form of bouk

Norwegian Bokmål

Verb

book

1. imperative of booke

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This page was last edited on 4 December 2023, at

17:25. •
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