textbook English · revision 39764

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=1726, A. Bayne, Discourse on the Rise and Progress of the Law of Scotland}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈtɛkst.bʊk/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It was formed [[af|en|text|book]] in English,^(OED 2026)^(Etymonline)^(SOED 2002)^(Dictionary.com 2016) from ''text'' in the sense of an authoritative writing.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A book used as a standard work in studying a subject: 1726, in Alexander Bayne's ''Discourse'' on Scots law, in the revised OED;^(OED 2026)^(HTOED) Etymonline and Merriam-Webster date this sense to 1779.^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) Dictionary.com dates the word to 1720–30.^(Dictionary.com 2016)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In the 18th century the word also meant a student's copy of a classical text, printed with wide spaces between the lines for the master's comments to be written in: Etymonline dates it to 1730 and the OED to 1728, in Chambers's ''Cyclopædia''.^(Etymonline)^(OED 2026)^(SOED 2002) From 1833 a ''textbook'' could also be a selection of passages of Scripture arranged for daily reading or reference;^(OED 2026)^(Etymonline) it was used rarely from 1862 for the printed words of an opera or play.^(OED 2026) The attributive use, "typical, exemplary", as in ''a textbook case'', is recorded from 1860 in the OED, at first often disparaging;^(OED 2026) Merriam-Webster dates it to 1905 and Etymonline to 1916.^(MWU 2024)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1726 – a standard book for the study of a subject.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1728 – (obsolete) a student's interleaved copy of a classical text.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1833 – a book of selected Bible passages.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1860 – adjective, typical, exemplary.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1862 – the words of an opera or play.^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A book that sets out the principles of a [[subject]] in a systematic way, used in [[study|alt=studying]] it, especially in schools and colleges: ''a chemistry textbook''.^(Collins 2023)^(MWU 2024)^(OED 2026)

+ # (historical) A book of selected passages of the [[Bible]], arranged for daily reading or reference.^(OED 2026)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Being a perfect or [[typical]] example of its kind; [[classic]]: ''The rescue was a textbook operation.''^(Collins 2023)^(MWU 2024)^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[textbookish]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[text]]

+ * [[book]]

+ * [[handbook]]

+ * [[manual]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}