# bible
## English
### Etymology

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".

### Pronunciation

* (UK, US) IPA: /ˈbaɪbəl/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -aɪbəl

### Noun

bible (plural bibles)
* Alternative letter-case form of Bible (“a specific version, edition, translation, or copy of the Christian religious text”)
** 2012 September 8, Cass Jones, “Elvis Presley's bible sells for £59,000”, in The Guardian‎:The bible was used by Presley throughout his life until his death on 16 August 1977 and contains his handwritten notes, thoughts and annotations.
* Alternative letter-case form of Bible (“the analogous holy book of another religion”)
** 1925, Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto, A Daughter of the Samurai, page 76:The Buddhist bible tells this story of Buddha’s time of temptation when he was living as a hermit on the Mount of Snow.
* (by extension) A comprehensive manual that describes something, or a publication with a loyal readership.
    handyman’s bible
** 1995 June, Gary Wolf, “The Curse of Xanadu”, in Wired Magazine‎:Computer Lib was written as a popular primer, but its most profound effect was on computer programmers, who needed little persuasion about the value of computers. […] Having set out to appeal to the general public, Nelson managed to publish an insider's bible and highly intimate guide to hacker culture.
** 1995 September, Richard Barbrook, Andy Cameron, “The Californian Ideology”, in Mute‎, volume 1, number 3, →ISSN:For example, Wired—the monthly bible of the ‘virtual class’—has uncritically reproduced the views of Newt Gingrich, […]
* (law) A binder containing copies of the most important documents for a particular matter.
    Could you please add these to the case bible?
* (nautical) Synonym of holystone: a piece of sandstone used for scouring wooden decks on ships.
* (at certain US universities) A compilation of problems and solutions from previous years of a given course, used by some students to cheat on tests or assignments.
** 1965, Matt Fichtenbaum, Dan Murphy, “The Institute Screw”, in The Broadside of Boston, volume III, number 22:My friend’s a genius, he will give me problems one through nine. The bible of a sophomore will have the needed lines.
* Omasum, the third compartment of the stomach of ruminants
    Synonyms: psalterium, omasum, manyplies, fardel
* (locksmithing) The upper part of a pin-tumbler lock, containing the driver pins and springs.

#### Derived terms

* bible-black
* bible leaf
* bible literalist
* bible society
* blue bible
* smuggler's bible
* Tijuana bible

#### Related terms

* biblical

#### Translations
## Czech
### Alternative forms

* Bible

### Etymology

Inherited from Old Czech biblí, from Latin biblia.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈbɪblɛ]

### Proper noun

bible f (relational adjective biblický)
* Bible

#### Derived terms

* biblista

### Further reading

* “bible”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
* “bible”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
* “bible”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech)

## French
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /bibl/
* Audio:(file)

### Noun

bible f (plural bibles)
* bible (comprehensive text)

#### Derived terms

* biblique
* bibliste

### Further reading

* “bible”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

## Middle English
### Alternative forms

* Bible, bibel, bibile, byble, bybill, bibelle, bybulle, bibill

### Etymology

From Old French bible, from Medieval Latin biblia, from biblia), from Ancient Greek βιβλία (biblía).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈbiːbəl/

### Proper noun

bible
* The Bible (Christian holy book); a copy of the Bible.
* (rare) The Koran (Muslim holy book).

#### Descendants

* English: Bible
* Scots: Bible

#### References

* “bīble, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-06-27.

### Noun

bible
* Any book that is of extensive length.
* A compendium, collection, or storehouse of books.

#### Descendants

* English: bible
* Scots: bible

#### References

* “bīble, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-06-27.