reference book

American  

noun

1. a book containing useful facts or specially organized information, as an encyclopedia, dictionary, atlas, yearbook, etc.

2. Also called pass, passbook.  South African. a domestic identity document formerly required to be carried by Black citizens.

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reference book British  

noun

1. a book, such as an encyclopedia, dictionary, etc, from which information may be obtained

2. another name for passbook

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Etymology

Origin of reference book

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

He began editing the 124-year-old reference book in 1995.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2025

Instead of becoming “a full-throated rebuke” to the internet-driven decline of the reference book, the project sputtered to a halt.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 14, 2025

The first winner was Dr Nira Chamberlain, the first black mathematician to be included in the British reference book Who's Who and a vice-president of the professional body, the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications.

From BBC • Jan. 10, 2025

Excited delirium is not listed in the standard reference book of mental health conditions, nor does it have its own diagnostic code under a system used by health professionals to identify diseases and disorders.

From Scientific American • Oct. 16, 2023

It can be debunked with a glance at any page of a historical reference book, such as the Oxford English Dictionary, which will show that very few words retain their original senses.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Related Words

• almanac
• dictionary
• directory
• thesaurus