Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A book of reference for desk use; a hand-book for ready reference, as in matters of spelling or the like.

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word desk-book.

Examples

  • It was the open book in the house the desk-book in the shop, the pocket-book in the field, the guide-book on the road.

    Sketches of the Covenanters J. C. McFeeters

  • For mere reading I suppose one book is pretty much as good as another; but the choice of a desk-book is a more serious matter.

    Essays on Life, Art and Science Samuel Butler 1868

  • For those, particularly Brits, who have no style-book of their own, for all who like their prose to be ship-shape and Bristol fashion, for anybody who has worried about how to spell Bill Sikes in Oliver Twist or how and what Planck's constant is, this is a useful quick desk-book.

    VERBATIM: The Language Quarterly Vol VIII No 4 1981

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.