Bookshop

How to spell bookshop

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce bookshop

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does bookshop mean?

1. nounA shop that sells books.

Bookshop in a sentence

• The high street has a small independent bookshop near the bank.

• She spent an hour browsing the history section of the bookshop.

Where does bookshop come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a transparent English compound formed from two very old native words. 'Book' descends from the Old English boc, which originally referred to a written document or charter and is thought to be linked to the beech tree, since early runic writing may have been carved on beechwood tablets. 'Shop' comes from the Old English sceoppa, meaning a small booth, stall, or treasury, which by the Middle Ages had narrowed to a place where goods are sold. The two were joined to name a retail business that sells books, a usage that became common in British English. Because both halves are short, everyday words spelled exactly as they sound, the compound carries no real spelling trap; the only point to remember is that it is written as a single closed word.

How the word is built

• book (Old English boc: a written work)
• shop (Old English sceoppa: a booth or stall)