handbook
English · Thesaurus
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handbook
- /ˈhændˌbʊk/ UK
- /ˈhandˌbɵk/ British, Southern, Standard
- /ˈhændˌbʊk/ Australia, US
- [ˈhɛəndˌbʊk] Australia, US
- [ˈheənd-] Australia, US
- /ˈhɛndˌbʊk/ New Zealand
- /ˈhandˌbʉk/ Northern Ireland, Scotland
Where it comes from
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”).
noun handbooks
-
A topically organized book of reference on a certain field of knowledge, regardless of size, but archetypally one to be kept readily at hand.
Similar: manual, enchiridion
- A place where illicit bets can be placed. The extent of the business done in this line is not understood by those who have not looked into it. In New York there are 50 pool rooms and 500 handbooks; in East St. Louis, 20 handbooks; in Chicago, 5 pool rooms and 200 handbooks; […]
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: vade mecum, enchiridion, yearbook, textbook, manual, workbook, publication, guidebook, document, playbook, aide-mémoire, brochure, pamphlet, booklet, book, cahier
Translations
Every language
noun a book of reference
| Español | prontuario, enquiridión, manual |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 편람 pyeollam, 안내서 annaeseo, 핸드북 haendeubuk |
| 日本語 | 便覧 binran, ハンドブック handobukku, 手帳 techō, 手帖 techō, 案内書 annaisho |
| 中文 | 手冊 /手册 shǒucè, 便覽 /便览 biànlǎn |
| हिन्दी | लघु ग्रंथ laghu granth |
| Português | manual |
| Français | manuel |
| Deutsch | Handbuch |
| Italiano | manuale, guida |
| Ελληνικά | εγχειρίδιο encheirídio |
| Română | manual |
| Русский | спра́вочник správočnik, посо́бие posóbije |
| Tiếng Việt | sổ tay |
| العربية | دَلِيل dalīl, كُتَيِّب kutayyib |
| עברית | סֵפֶר עֵזֶר séfer 'ézer, סֵפֶר כִּיס séfer kís, ספר שימוש \ סֵפֶר שִׁמּוּשׁ séfer shimúsh |
Talk about this word "handbook." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/handbook. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. handbook. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/handbook "handbook." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/handbook.Cite this
@misc{handbook_2026,
title = {handbook},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/handbook},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
