Added 7 October 2026
bible
/ˈbaɪbəl/ proper noun
Latin root: biblia Wiktionary
proper noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about bible at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
noun
- Alternative letter-case form of Bible (“a specific version, edition, translation, or copy of the Christian religious text”).
- Alternative letter-case form of Bible (“the analogous holy book of another religion”).
-
A comprehensive manual that describes something, or a publication with a loyal readership; a foundational text.
handyman’s bible
Origin
From Middle English bible, from Middle Latin biblia (“book”) (misinterpreted as a feminine from earlier Latin neuter plural biblia (“books”)), from Ancient Greek βιβλία (biblía, “books”), plural of βιβλίον (biblíon, “small book”), originally a diminutive of βίβλος (bíblos, “book”), from βύβλος (búblos, “papyrus”) (from the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos which exported this writing material). Old English used biblioþēce (from βιβλιοθήκη) and ġewritu (> English writs) for "the Scriptures".
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)