bible - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

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".

bible (plural bibles)

  1. Alternative letter-case form of Bible (“a specific version, edition, translation, or copy of the Christian religious text”).
    • 1828, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, volume I, London: William Harrison Ainsworth, page 261:
      If a person should happen to meet them when on these journeys, he should, if he has not a bible in his pocket, draw a circle round him on the ground, and in God's name forbid their approach.
    • 2012 September 8, Cass Jones, “Elvis Presley's bible sells for £59,000”, in The Guardian‎[1], archived from the original on 19 January 2024:
      The bible was used by Presley throughout his life until his death on 16 August 1977 and contains his handwritten notes, thoughts and annotations.
  2. 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.
  3. (by extension) A comprehensive manual that describes something, or a publication with a loyal readership; a foundational text.
    handyman’s bible
    K&R is considered the bible of C programming
    • 1995 June, Gary Wolf, “The Curse of Xanadu”, in Wired Magazine‎[2], archived from the original on 6 January 2007:
      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[3], volume 1, number 3, →ISSN, archived from the original on 8 May 2013:
      For example, _Wired_—the monthly bible of the ‘virtual class’—has uncritically reproduced the views of Newt Gingrich, […]
    • 2026 April 23, Alec Nevala-Lee, quoting Steve Jobs, “The Questionable Triumph of the ‘Baling Wire Hippies’”, in Jeffrey Goldberg, editor, The Atlantic‎[4], Washington, D.C.: The Atlantic Monthly Group, →ISSN, →OCLC:
      This message resonated powerfully with the founders of Silicon Valley, including Steve Jobs, who described the [_Whole Earth_] Catalog as “one of the bibles of my generation.”
  4. (film, television, video games) Ellipsis of pitch bible.
  5. (law) A binder containing copies of the most important documents for a particular matter.
    Could you please add these to the case bible?
  6. (nautical) Synonym of holystone: a piece of sandstone used for scouring wooden decks on ships.
  7. (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.
  8. Omasum, the third compartment of the stomach of ruminants
    Synonyms: psalterium, omasum, manyplies, fardel
  9. (locksmithing) The upper part of a pin-tumbler lock, containing the driver pins and springs.

comprehensive manual

Inherited from Old Czech biblí, from Latin biblia.

bible f (relational adjective biblický)

  1. Bible

bible f (plural bibles)

  1. bible (comprehensive text)

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

bible

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

bible

  1. Any book that is of extensive length.
  2. A compendium, collection, or storehouse of books.