tome

1 of 2

noun

1
: book
especially : a large or scholarly book
2
: a volume forming part of a larger work

-tome

2 of 2

noun combining form

1
: part : segment
myotome
2
: cutting instrument
microtome

Examples of tome in a Sentence

Noun a long tome on European history picked up a thick tome on the Roman Empire at a used book store
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Keeping track of the storylines derived from Frank Herbert’s eco-visionary 1965 sci-fi tome is a full-time job. Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Feb. 2024 Luttwak is an eccentric 81-year-old strategist who consults for governments and has written books on the grand strategy of the Roman Empire, an irreverent guide to launching a coup, and several tomes on warfare. Shashank Joshi, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 Photo: Peter Ash Lee What started as a personal project as a way for Lee to reconnect with his South Korean roots evolved into a fascinating tome, featuring a documentary-style visual narrative that gives readers a glimpse into the livelihood of these female divers and their arduous line of work. Dobrina Zhekova, Vogue, 24 Jan. 2024 The movie grossed a solid $875,000 from 125 locations for a per-location average of $7,000. Origin, starring Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, is loosely adapted from Isabel Wilkerson’s tome Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Jan. 2024 Joy Of Cooking Since its debut in 1930, versions of this tome, originally authored by By Irma S. Rombauer, have earned a permanent spot in kitchens around the world. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 14 Dec. 2023 This tome is packed with inspiration, as well as photos and stories from 75 stylish people, including heiress Gloria Vanderbilt, interior designer Brock Forsblom and fashion designer Fernando Sanchez. Sarah Grossbart, wsj.com, 14 Nov. 2023 The 160-page tome ($55) will showcase images of Robbie channeling Barbie shot by prominent fashion photographer Craig McDean. Danielle Directo-Meston, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Jan. 2024 Mitchell learned that searching Amazon for her book surfaced not only her own tome but also another ebook with the same title, published last September. Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 10 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tome.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin tomus, from Greek tomos section, roll of papyrus, tome, from temnein to cut; akin to Middle Irish tamnaid he lops, Polish ciąć to cut, and perhaps to Latin tondēre to shear

Noun combining form

Greek tomos

First Known Use

Noun

1519, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of tome was in 1519

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near tome

Cite this Entry

“Tome.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tome. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

tome

noun
: a big thick book

More from Merriam-Webster on tome

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!