vade mecum

[vey-dee mee-kuh m, vah-]

See more synonyms for vade mecum on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural va·de me·cums.

something a person carries about for frequent or regular use.
a book for ready reference; manual; handbook.

Origin of vade mecum

First recorded in 1620–30, vade mecum is from the Latin word vāde mēcum literally, go with me

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for vade mecum

essay, album, novel, publication, dictionary, pamphlet, text, work, manual, textbook, fiction, volume, edition, magazine, booklet, brochure, writing, copy, tome, paperback

Examples from the Web for vade mecum

Historical Examples of vade mecum

The bow at that time was his vade-mecum; he never left it home.
Hunting with the Bow and Arrow
Saxton Pope
It was her vade-mecum—good against rain, or sun, or mad bulls, or troublesome dogs.
Mount Royal, Volume 1 of 3
Mary Elizabeth Braddon
This is a metaphor, borrowed partly from the grazier's vocabulary, and partly from the arithmetician's vade-mecum.
Tales And Novels, Volume 4 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
Charles Alexander, the publisher of the Vade-Mecum, issued this magazine also.
The Philadelphia Magazines and their Contributors 1741-1850
Albert Smyth
Not a rambling, hap-hazard collection but a vade-mecum for youth from the ages of six or seven to sixteen or seventeen.
Christ Legends
Selma Lagerlf

British Dictionary definitions for vade mecum

vade mecum

noun

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

Word Origin for vade mecum

C17: from Latin, literally: go with me

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

Word Origin and History for vade mecum

"a manual," 1620s, Latin, literally "go with me."