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

And, as author Francesca Cartier Brickell points out in her tome The Cartiers, the name could have also been just a genius stroke of marketing. —Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 26 Dec. 2024

Ahead of the holidays, friends J.J. Martin, Mathilde Favier, and Laura Gonzales invited an international cohort to join them for a celebration of their respective coffee table tomes at Gonzales’ gallery. —Freya Drohan, Vogue, 11 Dec. 2024

Surpassing 1,000 pages, the tome should be long enough to keep Sanderson's legion of loyal fans sated at least for awhile. —Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 7 Dec. 2024

The tome went on sale exclusively in Target stores at the crack of dawn on Black Friday. —Chris Willman, Variety, 29 Nov. 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