English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From used book +‎ store.

Noun

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used bookstore (plural used bookstores)

  1. A bookstore that principally sells secondhand or used books.
    • 2023 May 13, Lilah Raptopoulos, “The charms of New York's Antiquarian book fair”, in FT Weekend, Life & Arts, page 21:
      Used bookstores have been disappearing for decades: The Booksellers tells us that 1950s New York had 368 bookstores, and today it has about 79.

Usage notes

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This spelling is contested by Garner's Modern American Usage, on account of it not making any sense.[1]

Synonyms

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Translations

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Bryan Garner (2009) “Phrasal Adjectives”, in Garner's Modern American Usage, →ISBN, page 628:[] although a bookstore is where we buy books, for secondhand books we go to a used-book store (not a used bookstore or a used-bookstore) []

Further reading

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