# book

Pronunciation: say "BUUK" /bʊk/

## Noun

1. A long written work suitable for publication, usually in prose, such as a novel or textbook, issued either as bound pages or as an e-book.
   - Simple: A long written work like a novel or textbook, printed on paper or read on a screen.
   - _The author spent five years writing a book on medieval history._
   - _Her debut book appeared both in print and in digital form._
2. A set of paper sheets bound together along one edge, holding printed or written material or pictures, or left blank for writing or drawing in.
   - Simple: A set of sheets of paper joined along one side, with words or pictures on them or blank pages to write in.
   - _He flipped through the book, searching for the right page._
   - _The old book's spine had cracked from years of use._
4. One of the major divisions of a long written work.
   - Simple: One of the main parts that a long written work is split into.
   - _The epic's final book resolves the long conflict._
   - _Scholars debate whether the last two books of the epic were written by the same poet as the rest._
5. The records of a business's financial accounts.
   - Simple: The written records of all the money a business takes in and spends.
   - _A clean set of books reassured the potential investors._
   - _The accountant balanced the books at the end of the quarter._
7. A small bound collection of paper items (such as stamps, matches, or tickets) arranged for convenient individual use.
   - Simple: A small set of paper items, like stamps or matches, joined together like a tiny book.
   - _He tore a stamp from the book and stuck it on the envelope._
   - _The festival sold books of drink tickets near the gate._
9. The spoken script and story of a musical, as distinct from its music and lyrics; also the libretto of an opera.
   - Simple: The spoken words and story of a musical, apart from the songs, or the words of an opera.
   - _Critics praised the score but found the book uneven._
   - _He spent a year revising the book before the show opened._
10. A source of knowledge or instruction, spoken of as though it were a written volume.
   - Simple: Anything that teaches you something, the way a book does.
   - _To the old sailor, the sea was a book he had read all his life._
   - _Experience is the book from which the wisest people learn._
13. A bookmaker; a person who takes and pays out bets on sporting events. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A person who takes bets on games and races.
   - _She owed the book a small fortune after a bad week._
   - _Local books set the odds before the big match._
14. A record of the bets placed on an event, listing what each person has wagered.
   - Simple: A written record of all the bets people have made.
   - _The bookmaker's book was loaded with bets on the home team._
   - _She balanced her book to limit losses on any single horse._
15. In soccer and similar sports, the referee's notebook in which cautions and other incidents are recorded (in the book = cautioned).
   - Simple: The referee's small notebook where warnings to players are written down.
   - _After the reckless tackle, his name was added to the book alongside two other cautioned players._
   - _Five players ended up in the book for yellow-card offenses that afternoon._
16. A portfolio of samples showing the work one has previously done in a creative or commercial field. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A collection that shows examples of the work someone has done in their job.
   - _His book impressed the creative director enough to earn a callback._
   - _Copywriters update their books with every successful campaign._
17. The collected body of established chess theory covering openings and endgames.
   - Simple: All the known best moves for the opening and ending of a chess game.
   - _Grandmasters memorize enormous amounts of book before a major tournament._
   - _The novelty took her out of book and into unfamiliar positions._
18. Four cards of the same rank held in one poker hand. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Four cards that are all the same number or face.
19. A set of six tricks taken by one side in a trick-taking card game.
   - Simple: Six rounds, or tricks, won by one side in a card game.
   - _They needed their book before any trick could count toward the score._
   - _Once our side made book, every extra trick added to our total._

## Verb

3. To arrange in advance to have or use something, such as a room, ticket, or appointment, or for a performer or speaker to appear.
   - Simple: To arrange ahead of time for a room, ticket, or table, or for a person to come and perform.
   - _I'll book a table for four at the new restaurant._
   - _They booked the conference hall months in advance._
6. To record a suspected offender's name and details of the offense for later legal action.
   - Simple: To officially write down a suspect's name and crime so the police can deal with it later.
   - _The desk sergeant booked the suspect within an hour of the arrest._
   - _They may book you if they find stolen goods in the car._
8. In soccer and similar sports, to give a player a formal caution, shown by a yellow card.
   - Simple: In sports, to give a player an official warning, shown with a yellow card.
   - _The referee booked two defenders in the opening ten minutes._
   - _A referee will book any player who deliberately wastes time._
11. To enter information, transactions, or bets in a book or other record.
   - Simple: To write or enter information in a record.
   - _The company will book a record profit in the final quarter of the year._
   - _Investors booked profits after the stock's long climb._
12. To move very fast, or to leave in a hurry, often as 'book it'. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To go very fast, or to leave quickly.
   - _The motorcycle was booking down the freeway when the siren caught up._
   - _Those bikes really book once they hit the open road._

## Other meanings

- (noun) In US law schools, an award for the highest grade in a course, traditionally an actual book but now often a certificate or letter.
- (verb) Among law students, to earn the highest grade in a course.
- (noun) The list of mares scheduled to be bred to a particular stallion in a given season.
- (noun) The lineup of races in which a given jockey is due to ride.
- (noun) The twenty-sixth card in the Lenormand fortune-telling deck.
- (noun) The accumulated body of practical knowledge and lore passed down among Black pimps.
- (noun) A package of silk, handled as a single unit in the textile trade.
- (verb) Regional past tense form of bake, heard in some northern English speech.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–2, 4–5, 7, 9–10, 13–19** — Proto-Germanic *bōks and Proto-West Germanic *bōk gave Old English bōc, which became Middle English bok, book. Related words meaning "book" include Dutch boek, German Buch, and Swedish bok.
**Meanings 3, 6, 8, 11–12** — This verb comes from Middle English booken, from Old English bōcian, which was formed from the noun "book."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/book (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).