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

Smith’s media megaphone was prepared for its publication in the wee hours after lapsing of Judge Aileen Cannon’s temporary restraining order — that order being the reason that the second tome, Smith’s Mar-a-Lago (MAL) report, remains under wraps. —Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 14 Jan. 2025

Yamazaki Home Tosca Cookbook Stand $25 Amazon If collecting cookbooks is a hobby, use a cookbook holder for the tome du jour, and bring the rest out of the kitchen. —Bridget Reed Morawski, Architectural Digest, 3 Jan. 2025

Published in 2010, this tome provides a critical look at the practices commonly used by insurance companies that negatively affect policyholders. —Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 27 Dec. 2024

The Three Bibles wasn’t the place to purchase pricey scholarly tomes. —James Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 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

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Kids Definition

tome

noun

ˈtōm 

: a big thick book