tome

1 of 2

noun

ˈtōm 

1

: book

especially : a large or scholarly book

2

: a volume forming part of a larger work

-tome

2 of 2

noun combining form

1

: part : segment

myotome

2

: cutting instrument

microtome

Synonyms

Noun

• book
• volume

Examples of tome in a Sentence

Noun

a long tome on European history

picked up a thick tome on the Roman Empire at a used book store

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In securing the rights to the magical realist tome, Netflix agreed the mythical town of Macondo would be recreated in Colombia and built by Colombians. —Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 13 Dec. 2024

He’s been an analyst at the network since 2017 and is the author of the tome, The Big Lie: Election Chaos, Political Opportunism, and the State of American Politics after 2020. —Erik Hayden, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Dec. 2024

The tome, released on November 29, commemorates the singer's record-breaking tour. —Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024

That doubles down on the idea that this is a sales pitch to a select audience, not really a useful tome. —David A. Teich, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin tomus, from Greek tomos section, roll of papyrus, tome, from temnein to cut; akin to Middle Irish tamnaid he lops, Polish ciąć to cut, and perhaps to Latin tondēre to shear

Noun combining form

Greek tomos

First Known Use

Noun

1519, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

tome

noun

ˈtōm 

: a big thick book