I. ˈbībəl noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English, Bible, book, from Old French, Bible, from Medieval Latin biblia, from Greek, plural of biblion book, diminutive of biblos, byblos book, papyrus, from Byblos (now Jubayl), Phoenician city from which papyrus was exported
1. usually capitalized
a. : the book composed of writings generally accepted by Christians as inspired by God and of divine authority
b. : the portion of this book that antedates the Christian era : an integrated segment of this earlier work (as the Torah)
c. : a book containing the sacred writings of a religion
the Koran is the Muslim Bible
2. obsolete : book
3. obsolete : a library or collection of books
4. usually capitalized : a copy or an edition of the Bible
5. : a publication likened to the Bible especially in authoritativeness or in the regularity with which it is consulted: as
a. : an outstanding or definitive reference work in any field
Blackstone was the lawyer's bible in those days
b. : a publication regularly read and regarded as indispensable
the bible of show business
c. : a book of rules
6. : something suggesting a book: as
a. : a small holystone
b. : omasum
c. : a piece of whale blubber sliced into leaves like those of a book to facilitate heating in the try-pot
[s]/bible.jpg[/s]
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to supply with Bibles
bible a hotel