library

American  

[lahy-brer-ee, -bruh-ree, -bree] / ˈlaɪˌbrɛr i, -brə ri, -bri /

noun

• libraries
  plural

1. a place set apart to contain books, periodicals, and other material for reading, viewing, listening, study, or reference, as a room, set of rooms, or building where books may be read or borrowed.

2. a public body organizing and maintaining such an establishment.

3. a collection of manuscripts, publications, and other materials for reading, viewing, listening, study, or reference.

4. a collection of any materials for study and enjoyment, as films, musical recordings, or maps.

5. a commercial establishment lending books for a fixed charge; a lending library.

6. a series of books of similar character or alike in size, binding, etc., issued by a single publishing house.

7. Biology. a collection of standard materials or formulations by which specimens are identified.

8. canon.

9. Computers. a collection of software or data usually reflecting a specific theme or application.

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library British  

/ ˈlaɪbrərɪ /

noun

1. a room or set of rooms where books and other literary materials are kept

2. a collection of literary materials, films, CDs, children's toys, etc, kept for borrowing or reference

3. the building or institution that houses such a collection

   a public library

4. a set of books published as a series, often in a similar format

5. computing a collection of standard programs and subroutines for immediate use, usually stored on disk or some other storage device

6. a collection of specific items for reference or checking against

   a library of genetic material

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Pronunciation

Library, with one r -sound following close upon another, is particularly vulnerable to the process of dissimilation—the tendency for neighboring like sounds to become unlike, or for one of them to disappear altogether. The pronunciation , therefore, while still the most common, is frequently reduced by educated speakers, both in the U.S. and in England, to the dissimilated or . A third dissimilated form is more likely to be heard from less educated or very young speakers, and is often criticized. See colonel, February, governor.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• interlibrary
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• libraries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of library

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English libraire, from Middle French librairie, from Medieval Latin librāria, noun use of feminine of Latin librārius (adjective) “of books,” from libr-, stem of liber “book” + -ārius -ary

Explanation

A library is a place where collections of books are kept. If you ever want a reminder of how very much there is to learn in this world, pay a visit to your local library. The noun library, meaning, “a room or building where books are housed,” comes from the Latin librarium “chest for books.” That, in turn, evolved from the Latin liber, a word meaning “book, paper, parchment,” and, more literally, “the inner bark of trees.” The writer Jorge Luis Borges said, “I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.” What would your vision of paradise look like?

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

library libraries

Happily, you can find her without much trouble in the deep streaming library, where she springs, for the foreseeable digital future, eternal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

Nellie Strandberg, a 16-year-old Brinell student, said she was on her way to the school's library when the assailant entered the institution.

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

He is unlikely to donate a volume to the library at this early stage of his premiership, but if he finds time to peruse the shelves, he will find an eclectic collection.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Examples can include speaking too loudly in a library or struggling to control impulses, difficulties that can occur with ADHD.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026

I knew better than to expect anything as grand as my old library with its brick exterior, white columns, and stone statues posing out front.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Fans can expect performances spanning symphony orchestras, ballet, jazz, opera and theater as well as events with libraries, bookstores, coffee shops, yogurt/ice cream shops and more.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

"We see something that doesn't really look like anything else we've identified in the solar system; it doesn't match anything we have in our spectral libraries."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026

And in much of the country, the government is responsible for operating water and other utilities, running fire departments and operating public libraries.

From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026

When the government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz unveiled measures to kick-start the moribund economy this month, it said it would allow municipal libraries to open and bakers to trade for longer on Sundays.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

"There are 25000 books in the libraries here within a few feet of me," he wrote his mother, "so I can have all the books to read I want."

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow