Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

vade mecum

American  
[vey-dee mee-kuhm, vah-] / ˈveɪ di ˈmi kəm, ˈvɑ- /

noun

plural

vade mecums
  1. something a person carries about for frequent or regular use.

  2. a book for ready reference; manual; handbook.


vade mecum British  
/ ˈvɑːdɪ ˈmeɪkʊm /

noun

  1. a handbook or other aid carried on the person for immediate use when needed

"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 vade mecum

First recorded in 1620–30; from Latin vāde mēcum literally, “go with me”

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.

Such a vade mecum Abbe Dimnet gracefully provides in the form of the True, the Beautiful and the Good, as approved by philosophers, improved by artists, lived by the saints.

From Time Magazine Archive

Literary Anecdotes forms a handy vade mecum of great and terrible superlatives.

From Time Magazine Archive

Distributed in more than a billion copies, the so-called Little Red Book remains the fundamental vade mecum of every citizen of the Chinese People's Republic.

From Time Magazine Archive

Far from bridging the communications gap between East and West, this vade mecum is sure to cause confusion if not some international incidents.

From Time Magazine Archive

He as silently takes from his breast-pocket a small wooden bowl, the indispensable vade mecum of all Tartars, and presents it to the hostess, who fills it with tea and milk, and returns it.'

From Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 451 Volume 18, New Series, August 21, 1852 by Chambers, William