Book
nounA set of printed or written pages bound together for reading.
How to spell book
4 letters · 1 syllable
How to pronounce book
What does book mean?
- nounA set of printed or written pages bound together for reading.
- verbTo reserve something, such as a seat, room, or appointment, in advance.
Book in a sentence
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noun
She returned the library book a day late.
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verb
We should book a table before the restaurant fills up.
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noun
He keeps a worn book of recipes on the kitchen shelf.
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verb
Remember to book the flight while the fare is still low.
Where does book come from?
Language of origin: Germanic
This word comes from the Old English boc, the everyday Anglo-Saxon term for a written document or volume. Its deeper roots lie in the Germanic family, and many scholars link it to the word for the beech tree, since early Germanic peoples are thought to have cut or carved runic characters onto thin tablets of beech wood. Over time the name for the writing surface came to mean the writing itself, then the bound collection of pages we recognise today. The verb sense, meaning to reserve or enter into a record, grew naturally from the idea of writing a name down in a register or ledger. The spelling kept its short, blunt vowel and the doubled 'oo' that distinguishes it from a long sound, which is why it stays simple and regular for modern writers.
How the word is built
- book (single root from Old English boc, originally 'beech', the wood on which early runes were carved)
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