noun
Uncommon
tome
tohm
Tome (noun) means a large, heavy, or scholarly book, especially one volume in a series. Example: “The professor kept a shelf of dusty tomes on medieval law.”
noun
1
A large, heavy, or scholarly book, especially one volume in a series.
"One senses, picking up Twenge’s tome — 515 pages before you get to the appendix — an attempt to quell past criticisms. “I see this book as my magnum opus,” she said."
— Casey Schwartz, Jean Twenge is ready to make you defend your generation again (2023)
"And Sam presents Tyrion with A Song Of Ice And Fire, a tome in which Tyrion’s own role, far from that of the clever hero or Machiavellian snake, doesn’t even exist."
— Alex McLevy, The final Game Of Thrones brings a pensive but simple meditation about stories (newbies) (2019)
"The professor kept a shelf of dusty tomes on medieval law."
"She lugged the enormous tome home from the library."
"The professor pulled a dusty old tome from the bookshelf."
How to use tome
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA thick, often serious or academic book — usually one part of a bigger set.
Common pairings
a weighty tome
a scholarly tome
a dusty tome
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Word forms
- Plural
- tomes
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The professor kept a shelf of dusty _____ on medieval law.
Etymology
From Middle French tome, from Latin tomus ("section of a larger work"), from Ancient Greek tomos ("a cutting, a roll of papyrus"), from temno, "to cut."
Synonyms
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Rhymes for tome
See all rhymes for tome →Frequently asked questions
What does “tome” mean?
The word “tome” means a large, heavy, or scholarly book, especially one volume in a series. In plain terms, a thick, often serious or academic book — usually one part of a bigger set.
How do you pronounce “tome”?
“Tome” is pronounced tohm (/toʊm/ in IPA).
How do you use “tome” in a sentence?
Here is “tome” used in a sentence: “The professor kept a shelf of dusty tomes on medieval law.”
What part of speech is “tome”?
“Tome” is a noun.
Where does the word “tome” come from?
The word “tome” comes from Ancient Greek. From Middle French tome, from Latin tomus ("section of a larger work"), from Ancient Greek tomos ("a cutting, a roll of papyrus"), from temno, "to cut.".
Is “tome” a common word?
“Tome” is an uncommon word in modern English.
