Book

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /bʊk/

Definitions

1. A physical or virtual compilation of text and images
2. A bound collection of printed or written sheets forming a work of literature or reference
3. An arrangement made in advance to secure accommodations, tickets, or services

Etymology: Old English "bōc" is tied to the Germanic word for beech, and the link is recorded in the oldest sources for the word. Early Germanic peoples carved runes and wrote on thin boards of beechwood, and the name of the tree and the name of the writing surface seem to have gone hand in hand. Many modern European words for "book" are cognate with this one, from Dutch "boek" and German "Buch" to Swedish "bok" and Icelandic "bók". The verb "to book", meaning to reserve something or to record it in a ledger, grew out of the noun in Middle English, as people began writing down their arrangements in a book. A bookmaker, in the sense of someone who takes bets, is a clipped form of a phrase that once meant someone who makes up a book of wagers.

Synonyms: volume, publication

Antonyms: unpublish, erase