textbook

American  

[tekst-book] / ˈtɛkstˌbʊk /

noun

1. a book used by students as a standard work for a particular branch of study.

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adjective

1. pertaining to, characteristic of, or seemingly suitable for inclusion in a textbook; typical; classic.

   a textbook case.

textbook British  

/ ˈtɛkstˌbʊk /

noun

1. 1. a book used as a standard source of information on a particular subject

   2. ( as modifier )

      a textbook example

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Other Word Forms

• textbookish adjective

Etymology

Origin of textbook

First recorded in 1720–30; text + book

Example Sentences

According to long-standing textbook explanations, this evolutionary shift occurred after the most devastating extinction event in Earth History, which happened about 252 million years ago.

From Science Daily

We’re a textbook example of what the EU says it wants to encourage: sustainable forestry and circular economies that keep forests as forests.

From The Wall Street Journal

As Mr. Thaler reports, “despite the empirical robustness and conceptual importance of these findings, insights from behavioral economics remain largely absent from mainstream economics textbooks.”

From The Wall Street Journal

He is a textbook example of the kind of person who deserves asylum.

From The Wall Street Journal

In 2010, the textbook “Politics in the American States” ranked the institutional powers of North Carolina’s governor the third-weakest in the nation.

From Salon

Related Words

• workbook