Hardcover
nounA book bound with rigid protective boards rather than flexible paper covers.
How to spell hardcover
9 letters · 3 syllables
How to pronounce hardcover
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does hardcover mean?
- nounA book bound with rigid protective boards rather than flexible paper covers.
- adjectiveDescribing a book that is bound in rigid boards.
Hardcover in a sentence
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noun
The first edition was a hardcover that now sells for a small fortune.
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adjective
The publisher released a hardcover edition ahead of the paperback.
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noun
She prefers reading a hardcover because it lies flat on the desk.
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adjective
Collectors paid a premium for the signed hardcover version.
Where does hardcover come from?
Language of origin: Germanic
This is a transparent English compound, built from two much older pieces. The first element, hard, descends directly from the Old English heard, meaning firm, solid, or unyielding, a thoroughly Germanic word with cousins across the Germanic languages. The second element, cover, arrived later through Old French covrir, which came from the Latin cooperire, literally meaning to cover over completely, formed from co- (an intensifying prefix) and operire (to close or shut). The compound itself is comparatively modern, emerging in the publishing trade of the early twentieth century to distinguish books bound in rigid boards from the cheaper paperback. Because both parts are familiar everyday words and nothing is doubled or silent, the spelling is straightforward; the only thing to remember is that it is written as a single closed word rather than two.
How the word is built
- hard (firm, rigid)
- cover (the binding or outer case of a book)
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