hornbook
noun
Forms hornbooks
- noun (historical) A single page containing the alphabet, covered with a sheet of transparent horn, formerly used for teaching children to read.
- noun (law) A legal textbook that provides a basic overview of a particular area of law.
Synonyms
Etymology
From horn + book.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The first book for children, or that from which in former times they learned their letters and rudiments; --so called because a sheet of horn covered the small, thin board of oak, or the slip of paper, on which the alphabet, digits, and often the Lord's Prayer, were written or printed; a primer. "He teaches boys the hornbook." Shak.
- noun A book containing the rudiments of any science or branch of knowledge; a manual; a handbook.
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “hornbook”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details