‖ bibliotheca
(ˌbɪblɪəʊˈθiːkə)
[L. bibliothēca library, collection of books, ad. Gr. βιβλιοθήκη book-case, library, f. βιβλίον book + θήκη repository; used also by Jerome, and after him, commonly in med.L., for the Bible, being evidently in earlier literary use than biblia: hence OE. biblioþéce was the original name of the Bible in Eng.]
a. (in OE.) The Scriptures, the Bible. b. mod. A collection of books or treatises, a library. c. A bibliographer's catalogue.
| c 1000 ælfric Test. (Gr.) 16 Hieronimus ure biblioþecan ᵹebrohte to Ledene of Greciscum bocum and of Ebreiscum. Ibid. 14 Se saltere ys an boc on ðǽre biblioþecan. a 1824 D'Israeli Cur. Lit. (1839) III. 344 Literary bibliothèques (or bibliothecas) will always present to us..an immense harvest of errors. 1879 Maclear Celts viii. 133 The Old and New Testaments, in the form of a Bibliotheca, or Bible. |