The etymology of the word “book”. Period Word itself Transcription Meaning Translation Picture Proto-Germanic bokiz [ˈbokiz] The word bokiz is connected with the tree name – beech tree. Бук Latin librum [Li:brum] The Latin word “librum” is connected with the inner bark. Внутренняя кора деревьев French livre [livrə] The French “word” livre came from the Latin word “librum” and its meaning was also the inner bark. Внутренняя кора деревьев Old-English boc [Bœc] In the Old-English period the meaning was a written document or a book. Книга, письменный документ Mid-English (XI–XV) bok [bok] In the Middle-English Period the word “bok” kept its meaning from the Old-English Period but narrower meaning appeared Книга, письменный документ; письменное произведение, состоящее из множества страниц, скреплённых и переплётенных между собой

Interesting facts: The link to the beech tree stems from the ancient Germanic practice of using beechwood tablets for writing. Ruins or other symbols were carved into the them. So the tree name signified the writing itself. The noun “book” gave rise to the verb “to book” (meaning to record or register) around 1200. This meaning reflects the fact that the earliest English books were records of land grants. Thus, the English word for "book" is directly linked to the material used for writing in ancient times – beech wood. XIX Book [buk] Magazine Журнал XX Book [buk] Telephone directory Телефонный справочник Modern English Book [buk] a set of pages that have been fastened together inside a cover to be read or written in Книга