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Bodleian

American  
[bod-lee-uhn, bod-lee-] / bɒdˈli ən, ˈbɒd li- /

noun

  1. the library of Oxford University, reestablished by Sir Thomas Bodley, 1545–1613, English diplomat and scholar.


adjective

  1. of, relating to, or belonging to this library.

Bodleian British  
/ bɒdˈliːən, ˈbɒdlɪ- /

noun

  1. the principal library of Oxford University: a copyright deposit library

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Bodleian

After Sir Thomas Bodley; see -an

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

It represents just a fraction of the Le Carré archive held at the Bodleian Libraries in Oxford, of which the Weston is a part, a collection comprising 1,237 boxes.

From The Wall Street Journal Jan. 26, 2026

Strand editor-in-chief Andrew Gulli says he found the poem in a shoe box at the University of Oxford’s Bodleian Library.

From Washington Times Dec. 11, 2023

The medal, awarded by Oxford University’s 400-year-old Bodleian Libraries, honors contributions to literature, media or science.

From Seattle Times Nov. 10, 2023

Wilson, whom she married in 1971, recalled a friend telling him that “Katherine Duncan-Jones can never be happy if she is further than a mile from the Bodleian Library.”

From New York Times Nov. 4, 2022

“No. It’s what she gets up to in the Bodleian Library.”

From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman

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