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• tome
  tome

  noun

  a book, especially a very heavy, large, or learned book.
• -tome
  -tome

  a combining form with the meanings “cutting instrument” (microtome; osteotome ), “segment, somite” (sclerotome ), used in the formation of compound words.

tome

¹ American  

[tohm] / toʊm /

noun

• tomes
  plural

1. 

   a book, especially a very heavy, large, or learned book.

2. a volume forming a part of a larger work.

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-tome ² American  

1. a combining form with the meanings “cutting instrument” (microtome; osteotome ), “segment, somite” (sclerotome ), used in the formation of compound words.

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tome ¹ British  

/ təʊm /

noun

1. a large weighty book

2. one of the several volumes of a work

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-tome ² British  

combining form

1. indicating an instrument for cutting

   osteotome

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Usage

What does -tome mean? The combining form -tome is used like a suffix to mean “cutting instrument” as well as a “segment, somite.” A somite is a scientific term designating body segments in animals like worms or segments of a developing embryo. The form -tome is used in some scientific and medical terms, especially in anatomy and surgery. It comes from the Greek tomḗ, meaning “a cutting,” and tómos, “a cut, slice.”The Greek root tómos, which can also mean “piece, roll of paper, or book,” is also the source of the word tome. Crack open the history of tome at our entry for the word. Also related to tómos is atom. What’s the big idea behind atoms and cutting? Find out in our Origin section for this term. Related to -tome are the combining forms -ectomy, -tomous, -tomy, and tomo-. Slice into their specific meanings at our Words That Use articles for the forms.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tomes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tome¹

First recorded in 1510–20; from French, from Latin tomus, from Greek tómos “slice, piece, roll of paper, book,” akin to témnein “to cut”

Origin of -tome²

Combining form representing Greek tomḗ a cutting; tómos a cut, slice; -tomon (neuter), -tomos (masculine) -cutting (adj.)

Explanation

A tome is a large book. If you're pre-med, chances are you're going to have one heck of a tome for your biology class. Tome is often used to refer to a book that is not only really large but also unusually important. If you generally carry more than one tome to class, invest in a bag with wheels so you don't hurt your back. A tome is big and heavy. "Wow! This tome weighs a ton!" Whatever you do, don't leave your tome at home — you'll wind up in detention! You can also use tome sarcastically to describe a book that clearly isn't large or important. But sarcasm is for advanced users only.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tome tomes

Smith’s great tome runs to 976 pages in my Modern Library edition, including bibliography, index and a 2½-page statistical appendix on the wasteful subsidies paid to the Scottish exporters of herring.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

It is a tome, 'Head North,' which Westminster is now re-devouring, poring over for clues about his instincts and how much of what he advocated then he will actually seek to deliver in government.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

For historians and rubbernecking readers alike, “All the President’s Men” would be a necessary tome, a how-to on exposing corruption.

From Salon ● Mar. 7, 2026

But what I found when I dug into the nearly 500-page tome is that we never should have listened to Attia in the first place.

From Slate ● Feb. 26, 2026

A chess-playing friend, Karl Burger, ten years older, who went on to become a medical doctor and an international master, first told Bobby about the tome, feeding the boy’s imagination about the wisdom it contained.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Kyiv's Pochaina second-hand book market was also struck, wiping out hundreds of individual stalls and countless treasured tomes.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

The Berkshire proxy is readable and runs less than 20 pages and compares with the 100-plus page tomes that most big companies issue.

From Barron's ● Mar. 16, 2026

Meanwhile, my sister collected cookbooks and fantasy tomes as I finished the final chapters of yet another Jane Austen classic.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2026

Using a modified version of Francis Bacon’s system, Jefferson sorted his tomes into the categories of Memory, Reason and Imagination.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 10, 2026

“This is the main reading area. You’ll find all the necessary tomes used for most of the basic classes.”

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Related Words

• magnum opus
• novel
• opus
• publication
• reference book
• textbook