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library Definition

li·brary (lī′brer′ē, -brər ē; also, though usually regarded as nonstandard, lī′bər ē)

noun pl. -·brar′·ies

    1. a collection of books, periodicals, musical scores, films, phonograph records, etc., esp. a large, systematically arranged collection for reading or reference
    2. a room or building where such a collection is kept
  2. a public or private institution in charge of the care and circulation of such a collection
  3. a set or series of books issued in a single format by a publishing house
  4. any collection of things that is organized for a particular purpose a software library

Etymology: ME librarie < OFr < libraire, copyist < L librarius, n., transcriber of books, adj., of books < liber, a book, orig. inner bark or rind of a tree (which was written on) < IE base *leubh-, to peel off > leaf, Gr lepein, to strip off rind

library Synonyms

library

n.

books, book collection, manuscripts, manuscript collection, institution, public library, ambry, bookery, athenaeum, private library, book room, lending library, collection of manuscripts, circulating library, reference library, reference collection, archives, museum, treasury, thesaurus, muniments, memorabilia, rare books, incunabula, incunables, reading room; see also building 1.

Great libraries of the world include: Bibliothéque Nationale, Paris; British Library, London; Bodleian Library, Oxford; Cambridge University Library; Biblioteca Vaticana, Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale Vittorio Emanuele, Rome; Biblioteca Laurentiana, Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale, Florence; Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan; Biblioteca Marciana, Venice; Bibliothèque Royale, Brussels; Biblioteca Nacional, Madrid; Biblioteca Nacional, Lisbon; Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The Hague; Kongelige Bibliothek, Copenhagen; Gosudarstvennaya Publichnaya Biblioteka, Leningrad; Staatsbibliothek, Berlin; National Library, Athens; Metropolitan Library, Beijing, Library of the Imperial Cabinet, Tokyo; Biblioteca Nacional, Mexico City; Biblioteca Nacional, Rio de Janeiro; Library of Congress, Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, D.C.; Widener Library, Harvard University; Columbia University Library, New York Public Library, Morgan Library, New York; Boston Public Library; Cleveland Public Library; Harper Library, University of Chicago; Huntington Library, Pasadena, Calif.; Sterling Library, Yale University; University of California Libraries; Hoover War Library, Stanford University.

library Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • well-stock: We have excellent undergraduate computer facilities and a modern, well-stocked library.
  • circulate: There is a circulating library of 656 volumes, which. the children are allowed to take to their homes to read.
  • participate: QuestionPoint lets us refer questions on to other participating libraries within the UK or to submit them to expert resources through the global network.
  • visit: Alternatively, visitors are welcome to visit the library itself at Walton Hall.
  • join: Before you can borrow resources ( books, videos and dvds etc. ) you must join the library.

Adjective modifier

  • digital: The achievement of the digital library will be more than a program for delivering services to our remote users.
  • British: The latter occasion was made possible by the President who is also Chairman of the British Library.
  • public: There is a statue to him in Camborne, outside the public library, holding a model of his locomotive.
  • virtual: Virtual Library of Sport - surfing The Virtual Library for Sport contains links for all the sports you can think of!
  • extensive: The outdoor pool is heated, whilst the extensive library is the place to relax with a good book.
  • electronic: NHS Staff can search for the full article in the Cochrane Library, licensed to the National electronic Library for Health.

Modifies a noun

  • catalog: Library Catalog You can search the library catalog by Title, Author, Keyword, ISBN, or Class.
  • staff: Users must show a current matriculation card or library ticket on entering the Library or on request from a member of the Library staff.
  • desk: You should be able to obtain a login from your Library information desk.

Noun used with modifier

  • cdna: The relative abundance of these tags can be assayed relatively easily in different cDNA libraries derived from different human tissues.
  • lending: An enlarged lending library was added at the rear of the building in 1938.
  • university: One can find these tools at any university library.
  • reference: Facilities The Hall contains a specialist reference library in theology of some 35,000 volumes, which is open each day from 8.30am to 10pm.
  • college: Facilities Corpus Library is one of the finest college libraries in Oxford.
  • branch: A substantial branch library serving the Enfield Wash area.

Browse dictionary entries near library

  1. ‹ librarian
  2. ‹ libra
  3. ‹ LIBOR
  4. ‹ liblab
  5. ‹ libido
  6. ‹ libidinous
  7. ‹ libidinize
  8. ‹ libidinal
  9. ‹ LIBID
  10. ‹ Liberty Island
  1. Library of Congress ›
  2. library science ›
  3. librate ›
  4. libration ›
  5. librettist ›
  6. libretto ›
  7. Libreville ›
  8. libri ›
  9. libriform ›
  10. Librium ›