librarian
(laɪˈbrɛərɪən)
[f. L. librāri-us concerned with books (hence as n. a bookseller or scribe) + -an.]
† 1. A scribe, copyist. Obs.
| 1670 Gale Crt. Gentiles ii. iv. i. 370 The Booksellers got these books transcribed..by unmeet Librarians. 1725 W. Broome Notes on Pope's Odyss. xii. 131 This is the error of the Librarians, who put τρὶς for δὶς. |
2. The keeper or custodian of a library. (This word has supplanted the older library-keeper.)
| 1713 Steele Englishman No. 1. 8 Why mayn't I be witty, as a Man that keeps a Librarian is Learned? 1791 Boswell Johnson an. 1754, Mr. Wise, Radclivian librarian, with whom Johnson was much pleased. 1829 University Instr. in Willis & Clark Cambridge (1886) III. 104 A projecting Room..for the use of the Librarian. |
† 3. A dealer in books. Obs. rare—1.
| a 1734 North Lives (1826) III. 290 This Mr. Scot was in his time the greatest librarian in Europe: for, besides his Stock in England he had warehouses at Frankfort [etc.]. |
Hence liˈbrarianess, a female librarian; liˈbrarianship, the office or work of a librarian.
| 1818 Todd, Librarianship. 1862 Trollope N. Amer. I. 360 The librarianesses looked very pretty and learned..; the head librarian was enthusiastic. 1871 Daily News 12 Apr. 5 In depriving the learned book-fancier of his librarianship. 1886 Academy 19 June 432/3 An essay on some subject in librarianship or bibliography. |