tome

¹

[ tohm ]

noun

1. a book, especially a very heavy, large, or learned book.
2. a volume forming a part of a larger work.

-tome

²

1. a combining form with the meanings “cutting instrument” ( microtome; osteotome ), “segment, somite” ( sclerotome ), used in the formation of compound words.

tome

¹

/ təʊm /

noun

1. a large weighty book
2. one of the several volumes of a work

-tome

²

combining form

1. indicating an instrument for cutting

   osteotome

Word History and Origins

Origin of tome¹

First recorded in 1510–20; from French, from Latin tomus, from Greek tómos “slice, piece, roll of paper, book,” akin to témnein “to cut”

Origin of tome²

Combining form representing Greek tomḗ a cutting; tómos a cut, slice; -tomon (neuter), -tomos (masculine) -cutting (adj.)

Word History and Origins

Origin of tome¹

C16: from French, from Latin tomus section of larger work, from Greek tomos a slice, from temnein to cut; related to Latin tondēre to shear

Origin of tome²

from Greek tomē a cutting, tomos a slice, from temnein to cut

Example Sentences

The Gourmand also has a Taschen tome on the egg.

From Los Angeles Times

If, after flipping through this gorgeous tome you find yourself ready to sell everything you own and start from scratch as a high-end minimalist, who could blame you?

From Los Angeles Times

The wellness tome consists of tenets the elder Williams sister has gleaned over the course of her impressive 30-year career.

From Los Angeles Times

Couto is well-known throughout the Portuguese-speaking world - Angola, Cape Verde, and Sao Tome in Africa, as well as Brazil and Portugal.

From BBC

Vilda was replaced by his former assistant Montse Tome, who became Spain's first female head coach, and she led the team to victory in the Nations League at the first attempt, beating France in February.

From BBC

Related Words

• magnum opus
• novel
• opus
• publication
• reference book
• textbook

Words That Use -tome

What does -tome mean?

The combining form -tome is used like a suffix to mean “cutting instrument” as well as a “segment, somite.” A somite is a scientific term designating body segments in animals like worms or segments of a developing embryo.

The form –tome is used in some scientific and medical terms, especially in anatomy and surgery. It comes from the Greek tomḗ, meaning “a cutting,” and tómos, “a cut, slice.”

The Greek root tómos, which can also mean “piece, roll of paper, or book,” is also the source of the word tome. Crack open the history of tome at our entry for the word. Also related to tómos is atom. What’s the big idea behind atoms and cutting? Find out in our Origin section for this term.

Related to -tome are the combining forms -ectomy, -tomous, -tomy, and tomo-. Slice into their specific meanings at our Words That Use articles for the forms.

Examples of -tome

A medical term that features the combining form -tome is osteotome, a surgical tool used for cutting or dividing bone.

The first part of the word, osteo-, means “bone.” The form -tome denotes “cutting instrument,” as we’ve learned. Osteotome, then, literally translates to “bone-cutting instrument.” Eek!

What are some words that use the combining form -tome?

• dermatome
• histotome
• microtome
• myotome
• phlebotome
• thyrotome

What are some other forms that -tome may be commonly confused with?

• -stome
• -stomy
• -stomous
• -ton

Break it down!

The combining form micro- means “small.” A microtome is an instrument used to cut what sized objects, generally speaking?