pocketbook
English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
1610s,[1][2] from pocket + book, popularized in its sense as a paperback by the success of Pocket Books in the United States after its 1939 launch.
Noun edit
pocketbook (plural pocketbooks)
- (US) A purse or handbag.
- (dated) A wallet for paper money.
- (figuratively) One's personal budget or financial capacity; the amount one can afford.
- Synonym: pocket
- (uncommon) A small book, particularly (US) a paperback or (UK) notebook able to fit into a pocket (of any genre, from reference work to fine art).
- The publishers brought out small format pocketbooks of the whole of their nature series.
- c. 2005, New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Risk Management Pocket Guide:
- The kit is produced in three parts including a pocket book designed to fit into a shirt pocket for everyday on-the-job use, a more detailed guide and a training CD. The kit includes a hazard reporting and feedback notebook and hazard management process prompt cards to remind workers of common hazards they may encounter in day-to-day operations.
- 2011, Leslie Stephen, Swift, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 10:
- "I have now lost", he wrote in his pocketbook, "the last barrier between me and death..."
- 2015, Graham Ison, Whispering Grass, Hachette UK, →ISBN:
- Dave recorded the information in his pocketbook and looked Gibbs straight in the eye.
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
Descendants edit
Translations edit
woman's purse
|
one's personal budget
|
small book — see also paperback
|
notebook — see notebook
See also edit
References edit
- ^ “pocketbook”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
- ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “pocketbook”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.