handbook
/ˈhændˌbʊk/ noun
Forms handbooks
- noun A topically organized book of reference on a certain field of knowledge, regardless of size, but archetypally one to be kept readily at hand.
- noun (US, gambling) A place where illicit bets can be placed.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English handbok, from Old English handbōc (“handbook”), possibly reinforced as a calque of German Handbuch (“handbook”). By surface analysis, hand + book. Compare West Frisian hânboek (“handbook”), Dutch handboek (“handbook”), German Low German Handbook (“handbook”), Danish håndbog (“handbook”), Swedish handbok (“handbook”), Icelandic handbók (“handbook”).
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [Hand + book; cf. AS. handb, or G. handbuch.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “handbook”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details