bible means A comprehensive manual that describes something, or a publication with a loyal readership; a foundational text.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, bible ranks #2,328 of 14,438 for Most Storied Words, #2,382 of 14,414 for Most Elegant Words, #2,592 of 14,423 for Most Sublime Words, #2,678 of 14,410 for Most Ponderous Words.
bible is pronounced /ˈbaɪbəl/.
Why “bible” is a great word
The foundational sacred scriptures of Christianity, comprising the Old and New Testaments, or a comprehensive and authoritative book on a particular subject. From Middle English *bible*, from Middle Latin *biblia* ("book"), from Ancient Greek βιβλία (*biblía*, "books"), plural of βιβλίον (*biblíon*, "small book"), a diminutive of βίβλος (*bíblos*, "book"), from βύβλος (*búblos*, "papyrus"), named for the Phoenician city of Byblos, a source of papyrus. Unlike "scripture," a general term for any religion's sacred writings, or "manual," a mere procedural guide, "Bible" carries the weight of canonical finality and supreme authority. It is the thin paper and gilt edges of a Gideon's edition in a nightstand drawer, the cracked leather spine of a family heirloom heavy with annotations, and the dog-eared, coffee-stained copy of a technical reference relied upon by every practitioner in a field—the singular volume against which all other claims are measured, and often found wanting.
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".
noun
- A comprehensive manual that describes something, or a publication with a loyal readership; a foundational text.“handyman’s bible”
- A binder containing copies of the most important documents for a particular matter.“Could you please add these to the case bible?”
- Synonym of holystone: a piece of sandstone used for scouring wooden decks on ships.
- A compilation of problems and solutions from previous years of a given course, used by some students to cheat on tests or assignments.“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
- The upper part of a pin-tumbler lock, containing the driver pins and springs.
- A specific version, edition, translation, or copy of one of the above-mentioned texts.“He had just become able to read, with much effort, short sentences in his Bible, and was constantly engaged during his leisure hours in studying its pages.”
name
- Either of two major versions of the main religious text in the Judeo-Christian group of traditions.; The main religious text in Christianity.“Meronyms: Old Testament, New Testament”
- Either of two major versions of the main religious text in the Judeo-Christian group of traditions.; The Jewish holy book that was largely incorporated into the Christian Bible.“Near-synonym: Old Testament (loosely synonymous)”
- The analogous holy book of another religion or belief system.“He conveys to his foreign students the importance of the Qur'an by explaining that it is the Bible of Islam.”
- The principal important document of some area of skill or expertise.“This technical handbook is the Bible of our trade.”
- A surname originating as a matronymic.
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- scripture 87% match — The foundational text of a given religion, or a text considered especially holy. vs bible →
- octateuch 85% match — A collection of eight books; especially, the first eight books of the Old Testament. vs bible →
- gospel 84% match — The first section of the Christian New Testament scripture, comprising the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, concerned with the birth, ministry, passion, and resurrection of Jesus. vs bible →
- epistle 83% match — Alternative letter-case form of epistle:; One of the books of the New Testament which was originally a letter issued by an apostle to an individual or a community. vs bible →
- testament 83% match — A solemn, authentic instrument in writing, by which a person declares his or her will as to disposal of his or her inheritance (estate and effects) after his or her death, benefiting specified heir(s). vs bible →
- apocrypha 83% match — Something, as a writing, that is of doubtful authorship or authority (formerly also used attributively). vs bible →
- catechism 83% match — A book, in question and answer form, summarizing the basic principles of Christianity. vs bible →
- prooftext 83% match — A decontextualized quotation from a document (often, but not always, a book of the Bible) to establish a proposition rhetorically through an appeal to authority. vs bible →