Schoolbook

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A book used as a primary resource for teaching students in educational settings
2. A printed volume designed to provide learning material for school subjects
3. A textbook intended for use in classroom instruction and student study

Etymology: "Schoolbook" is a plain compound, built from "school" and "book" and needing no special story. "School" came into English from Latin "schola" by way of Old English "scol" and later Latin-derived forms, and it originally meant a place of learning, the sense that "book" then supported. "Book" comes from Old English "boc," which is related to the word for beech, reflecting the early use of beech wood for writing surfaces. Put together, "schoolbook" simply names a book used for teaching at school. The combination is transparent: the first element says where the book belongs and the second says what it is, so the compound needed no separate coinage to be understood.

Synonyms: textbook, manual