# american/english colloquial word for "a book"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 29, 2012, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-colloquial-word-for-a-book/611106 "2012-01-29T19:59:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-colloquial-word-for-a-book/611106/21 "2012-01-30T04:16:53Z")
> [@BleizDu](#): > > I’m French, the colloquial word for book (“livre”), is “bouquin”. > I don’t know how I would literally translate it, it can be used to talk about books with more relaxed attitude about them, or simply as a strict synonym to livre. > > [bouquin - Wiktionary, the free dictionary](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bouquin) > > Hum, now, reading over its etymology, and the fact that it’s used as root for a non-colloquial word (bouquiniste/bookseller), I see that it used to mean only an old book. > > It’s silly, it hadn’t truly hit me that it simply might not exist, even though I know full well languages aren’t always equivalent like that. “tome”, or “volume” might be useful, but they aren’t slang words, but rather synonyms with differing connotations. Saying “tome” implies that the book may be old and dusty, concern arcane subject matter, be difficult to understand, or that it is long. Saying “volume” may emphasize the book itself as a unit of knowledge or material, such as saying, “There are 5000 volumes in this library”, or “The encyclopedia contains 12 volumes” (i.e. it is composed of 12 physical books), or it may emphasize that different material is bound together as one book. E.g. “All 12 magazine issues for the 2011 year were republished as a single volume.” ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-colloquial-word-for-a-book/611106/22 "2012-01-30T04:35:47Z")
> [@Uncertain](#): > > I believe that _pomme_ originally meant “fruit” (generic), as did _apple_. I’ve heard that, too, but [this](http://www.westegg.com/etymology/) was as close to a cite as I could find on short notice. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Niply\_Elder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@The\_Niply\_Elder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Niply_Elder)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-colloquial-word-for-a-book/611106/23 "2012-01-30T05:08:11Z")
The closest to a slangish, modernish, hip word for book is: e-book. Seriously, I gave up. Oh wait! Pulp! There it is: pulp. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-colloquial-word-for-a-book/611106/24 "2012-01-30T05:22:44Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > There are various colloquial terms for books based on specific types such as _paperback_ and _hardcover_. There are also more descriptive terms for the content or it’s nature such as \*pot boiler \*and _bodice ripper_. And there’s the term _best seller_. Many others if you are referring to a specific book. But all those are words with specific meanings; the first two refer to the kind of binding, the next two to genre, the last one is supposed to only be applied to books which have sold well (the definition of “sold well” varies widely, tho). Pulp is also a reference to specific techniques, or rather, to books printed on very low-quality paper. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-colloquial-word-for-a-book/611106/25 "2012-01-30T05:22:47Z")
How is _bouquine_ pronounced? “Boo - KEEN?” Is there some form of French version of the OED that would have an etymology? ('cos it looks almost like a francophonification of the English word “book,” maybe predating the French Academy that likes to be the gatekeeper to the language.) ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-colloquial-word-for-a-book/611106/26 "2012-01-30T05:24:24Z")
**kdad** , the ethymology has been given as derived from a Dutch word. My crystal ball says the roots for that Dutch word and for book are the same. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-colloquial-word-for-a-book/611106/27 "2012-01-30T08:11:55Z")
I’m still confused as to the specifics of what colloquial means here - how would you describe the non-colloquial term? If this is colloquial vs formal, then I’d say that ‘book’ _is_ the colloquial english term, and the formal is something like _publication_, or some specific descriptor such as _encyclopaedia_, _journal_, _novel_, _manual_, etc. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-colloquial-word-for-a-book/611106/28 "2012-01-30T08:44:37Z")
People sometimes say “novel” when they mean “book”. I know it’s just a category, but that is how it gets used. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-colloquial-word-for-a-book/611106/29 "2012-01-30T08:59:46Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > How is _bouquine_ pronounced? “Boo - KEEN?” Is there some form of French version of the OED that would have an etymology? _Bouquin_, and it’d be something like [buk~ɛ]. (I cannot format this so that the tilde is above the vowel, but the point is it’s a nasal vowel.) > [@Mangetout](#): > > I’m still confused as to the specifics of what colloquial means here - how would you describe the non-colloquial term? In France, it’s the colloquial/familiar word for a book. (I don’t know about neighbouring French-speaking countries, but in Quebec, it’d be understood but not used.) But the fact is that in English there is no word that means “book” but is more informal. I’m trying to find a similar pair, though for another concept, so that you may understand what the usage would be in French. If I do I’ll post it here. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-colloquial-word-for-a-book/611106/30 "2012-01-30T09:13:08Z")
> [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](#): > > In France, it’s the colloquial/familiar word for a book. (I don’t know about neighbouring French-speaking countries, but in Quebec, it’d be understood but not used.) But the fact is that in English there is no word that means “book” but is more informal. I’m trying to find a similar pair, though for another concept, so that you may understand what the usage would be in French. If I do I’ll post it here. Thanks - on that basis, I’d say ‘book’ is about as informal as it gets in English, whilst still staying generic. More formal and less formal terms exist, but they tend to be specific to one category of books. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-colloquial-word-for-a-book/611106/31 "2012-01-30T10:32:04Z")
> [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](#): > > I’m trying to find a similar pair, though for another concept, so that you may understand what the usage would be in French. Okay, consider for example saying “he bummed me a smoke” instead of “he borrowed a cigarette from me”. That’s the kind of context you’d get in the usage of “bouquin” instead of “livre”, in the places where this word is used. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-colloquial-word-for-a-book/611106/32 "2012-01-30T10:56:51Z")
I guess ‘read’ (as a noun) is used in that context in English. A book might be described as ‘a good read’ and a list might be called ‘new reads’ ([here](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brilliant-New-Reads/lm/R1MUOJ8UTX77WZ)’s an example) ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-colloquial-word-for-a-book/611106/33 "2012-01-30T11:30:00Z")
Oh, yeah, maybe. It’s probably the closest equivalent, even though I don’t think you’d refer to a physical book as “a read”. It seems more abstract than “bouquin”. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-colloquial-word-for-a-book/611106/34 "2012-01-30T14:36:47Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > There are various colloquial terms for books based on \*\*specific types \*\*such as _paperback_ and _hardcover_. There are also more descriptive terms for the content or it’s nature such as \*pot boiler \*and _bodice ripper_. And there’s the term _best seller_. Many others if you are referring to a **specific book**. > [@Nava](#): > > But all those are words with specific meanings; the first two refer to the kind of binding, the next two to genre, the last one is supposed to only be applied to books which have sold well (the definition of “sold well” varies widely, tho). Right. Why didn’t I think of that? > [@](#): > > Pulp is also a reference to specific techniques, or rather, to books printed on very low-quality paper. No. Pulp refers to a genre of books (and magazines) originally associated with low quality paper, but actually refers to things like lurid and/or gritty content. ‘Pulp’ could be printed on perfectly good paper. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-colloquial-word-for-a-book/611106/35 "2012-01-30T15:01:11Z")
Just to toss in a few semi-synonyms I’ve heard from time to time: - [Penny dreadful](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny_dreadful) - [Dime novel](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dime_novel) - [Paperback](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paperback) The issue of formality is hard to wrestle with unless there’s some exalted connotation to “book” that I haven’t encountered. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-colloquial-word-for-a-book/611106/36 "2012-01-30T15:07:46Z")
There’s no reason for a slang term for “book.” “Book” is already a short, simple word that conveys its meaning accurately. You can’t shorten it, so any other term would be longer, and an affectation that will die out. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-colloquial-word-for-a-book/611106/37 "2012-01-30T15:34:02Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > There’s no reason for a slang term for “book.” “Book” is already a short, simple word that conveys its meaning accurately. You can’t shorten it, so any other term would be longer, and an affectation that will die out. Then how do you explain that “bouquin” (two syllables) is a slang term for “livre” (one syllable)? Obviously language doesn’t always move in the direction of shortening words. > [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](#): > > It’s probably the closest equivalent, even though I don’t think you’d refer to a physical book as “a read”. It seems more abstract than “bouquin”. And as a precision on this, what I meant is that you can say something like “passe-moi le bouquin en face de toi”, but “give me the _read_ in front of you” would be semantically incorrect. “Book” is the only word that works here. “Read” seems to be a familiar term for a book _as a thing to be read_, not for the physical object that a book is. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-colloquial-word-for-a-book/611106/38 "2012-01-30T15:36:58Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > There’s no reason for a slang term for “book.” “Book” is already a short, simple word that conveys its meaning accurately. You can’t shorten it, so any other term would be longer, and an affectation that will die out. I guess that’s why there’s no slang for “house”, right? And no slang for “car” either. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-colloquial-word-for-a-book/611106/39 "2012-01-30T16:17:11Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I guess that’s why there’s no slang for “house”, right? And no slang for “car” either. I guess ‘car’ isn’t exactly slang, but it was probably popularized as a simpler word than ‘automobile’. I think ‘book’ is pretty simple, which may dissuade the use of a slang replacement. But as you illustrate, that’s no barrier to replacement with a more popular term. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-colloquial-word-for-a-book/611106/40 "2012-01-30T17:21:11Z")
> [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](#): > > Okay, consider for example saying “he bummed me a smoke” instead of “he borrowed a cigarette from me”. That’s the kind of context you’d get in the usage of “bouquin” instead of “livre”, in the places where this word is used. But wouldn’t “he bummed a smoke from me” be more parallel to “he borrowed a cigarette from me”? “He bummed me a smoke” implies that he was acquiring the smoke _for_ you; for example, you might be at your desk and unable to go to the other smokers. And notice the difference in connotation. To “borrow” implies an explicit intention to return; “to bum” involves asking as if you’re borrowing, but both parties know it might as well be a gift. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-colloquial-word-for-a-book/611106.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-colloquial-word-for-a-book/611106.md?page=3)