LIBRARY


Meaning of LIBRARY in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ ˈlī-ˌbrer-ē, -ˌbre-rē; Britain usually & US sometimes ]

-brər-ē; US sometimes -brē, ÷-ˌber-ē, -ˌbe-rē noun

( 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 ˈlī-ˌbrer-ē is the most frequent variant in the U.S., the other variants are not uncommon. The contraction ˈlī-brē and the dissimilated form ˈlī-ˌber-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.

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.