n.
Pronunciation: ' l ī - ˌ brer- ē , - ˌ bre-r ē ; Brit usu & US sometimes -br ə r- ē ; US sometimes -br ē , ÷- ˌ ber- ē , - ˌ be-r ē
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -brar · ies
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French librarie, Medieval Latin librarium, from Latin, neuter of librarius of books, from libr-, liber inner bark, rind, book
Date: 14th century
1 a : a place in which literary, musical, artistic, or reference materials (as books, manuscripts, recordings, or films) are kept for use but not for sale b : a collection of such materials
2 a : a collection resembling or suggesting a library <a library of computer programs> <wine library > b : MORGUE 2
3 a : a series of related books issued by a publisher b : a collection of publications on the same subject
4 : a collection of cloned DNA fragments that are maintained in a suitable cellular environment and that usually represent the genetic material of a particular organism or tissue
usage While the pronunciation \ ' l ī - ˌ brer- ē \ is the most frequent variant in the U.S., the other variants are not uncommon. The contraction \ ' l ī -br ē \ and the dissimilated form \ ' l ī - ˌ ber- ē \ result from the relative difficulty of repeating \ r \ in the same syllable or successive syllables; our files contain citations for these variants from educated speakers, including college presidents and professors, as well as with somewhat greater frequency from less educated speakers.