English Reference

Word

bibliography

Phoneticsbib·li·og·ra·phy

US/ˌbɪbɫiˈɑɡɹəfi/

UK/bˌɪblɪˈɒɡɹəfi/

Definitions

01list of sources in a text

B2

n. a list at the end of a book or essay that shows all the sources the author used.

n. a list of citations for works referred to within a text, typically appearing as an appendix.

“Check the bibliography at the back of the book to find the original study.”

“The professor reminded the students that an incomplete bibliography would result in a lower grade for their research papers.”

Academic

Usage

Usually appears at the end of a formal document or academic paper.

Synonyms

referencessource listworks cited

02list of works on a subject

B2

n. a complete list of books or articles about a specific person or topic.

n. a comprehensive list of documents or publications relating to a particular subject, author, or period.

“The library has a detailed bibliography of every book written about the local history.”

“The scholar spent years compiling a definitive bibliography of seventeenth-century medical texts found in European archives.”

Academic

Synonyms

reading listcatalogue

03the study of books

C2

n. the scientific study of how books are made, printed, and published.

n. the academic study of books as physical objects, including their history, printing, and classification.

“He decided to take a course in bibliography to learn how old books were printed.”

“Advanced research in bibliography allows historians to identify the specific printing press used for early editions of Shakespeare's plays.”

Academic · Technical

Usage

Often used as an uncountable noun when referring to the field of study.

Synonyms

book history

Etymology

From Ancient Greek βιβλιογραφία (bibliographía, “the act or habit of writing books”), from βιβλιογράφος (bibliográphos, “a writer of books”), from βιβλίον (biblíon, “small book”) + γράφω (gráphō, “I write”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family

bibliographicAdjectivebibliographyNoun

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

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English Reference