Dictionary

songbook en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English song boke, from Old English sangbōc (“a music book; songbook”), equivalent to song + book. Compare Saterland Frisian Songbouk (“songbook”), West Frisian sjongboek (“songbook”), Dutch zangboek (“songbook”), German Low German Sangbook (“songbook; hymnbook; hymnal”), German Gesangbuch (“songbook; hymnbook; hymnal”), Danish sangbog (“songbook”), Swedish sångbok (“songbook”), Faroese songbók (“songbook”), Icelandic söngbók (“songbook”).

Meanings

1. A book containing songs.
   • Wondering how else he passed his time, Winifred surveyed the room again, this time without regard for the monetary value of the things she saw. A box of lutestrings. Five songbooks. But no lute. 2019, Emerson Kathy Lynn, How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries:
   • Some of the young folks asked Mrs. Long could they have a sing at her home that Sunday afternoon; she readily agreed, telling them to come early, bring their songbooks, and have a good sing. 2002, Martha Mizell Puckett, Hoyle B. Puckett, Memories of a Georgia Teacher: Fifty Years in the Classroom, page 198:
   • In uncritical homage to the heyday of Hollywood musicals, Branagh sets the action in a kind of soundstagey Oxbridge (wittily designed by Tim Harvey) and at crucial moments has his cast spin on their heels and croon American songbook standards by Porter, Kern, Gershwin and company instead of launching into sonnets and masques. 2005, Andrew Dickson, The Rough Guide to Shakespeare: The Plays, the Poems, the Life, London: Rough Guides, →ISBN, page 191:
2. A repertoire of songs.
   • the great American songbook

Forms

Translations (37)

yi לידערבוך (book) · et laulik (book) · hy երգարան (book) · ast cancioneru (book) · cmn 歌曲集 (book) · kum йыр китап (book) · pdt Leedabuak (book) · hu énekeskönyv (book) · ja 歌集 (book) · ja ソングブック (book) · bg песнопойка (book) · pl śpiewnik (book) · it canzoniere (book) · ja 唱歌集 (book) · pt cancioneiro (book) · da sangbog (book) · ko 노래책 (book) · oc cançonièr (book) · ko 가요집 (book) · ga leabhar amhrán (book) · ro carte de cântece (book) · nl liedboek (book) · cmn 歌集 (book) · mk песнарка (book) · cmn 歌本 (book) · nn songbok (book) · fi laulukirja (book) · fr chansonnier (book) · cy llyfr caneuon (book) · ca cançoner (book) · ru пе́сенник (book) · es cancionero (book) · de Liederbuch (book) · cs zpěvník (book) · sv sångbok (book) · nb sangbok (book) · gl cancioneiro (book)