Word of the Day: library
Part of speech: noun
Simple meaning: a place or organized collection that gives people access to books and other media.
Listen to the pronunciation
What does library mean?
A library can be a public building where people read, study, and borrow books. The word can also describe a collection. A home library may fill one shelf or several rooms. A digital library stores texts, recordings, images, or other resources online. BookAud is a digital collection focused on public-domain audiobooks.
The plural is libraries, not librarys. In careful speech, the middle r is present, although some accents use a shorter form. Common combinations include public library, school library, and library card. A bookshop sells books; a library usually lends them or provides access without selling each item.
Examples
- I borrowed a classic novel from the local library.
- The university library keeps rare books in a special room.
- Our digital library lets listeners explore stories in four languages.
Use the word while listening
Open Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and listen for two minutes. Imagine that you found this recording in a library catalogue. Say where the library is, what it offers, and why you selected this book. Then use the plural form in a second sentence.
Related words: librarian, collection, catalogue, bookshelf, archive.
Swedish: bibliotek · French: bibliothèque · German: Bibliothek.
Sources and audio credit
The meaning, plural, and pronunciation were checked in Wiktionary. BookAud wrote the explanation and examples. Dvortygirl recorded the US English pronunciation and published it on Wikimedia Commons. This page uses the audio under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0.