bookcase

UK/ˈbʊkˌkeɪs/

nounB1Occasional — familiar, but not everyday · #8,488 of 15,258neutral

Other forms: bookcases

A bookcase is the tall piece of furniture with shelves full of things to read. Upright sides, and boards between them.

The word is one word and it covers everything from a two-shelf unit beside a bed to a wall of oak in a library. A bookshelf is strictly a single shelf, though most people use the two words interchangeably. Fitted bookcases are built into the wall and free-standing ones must be tied to it, since a loaded bookcase is extremely heavy and falls forwards. The books always outgrow it.

Definitions of bookcase

1nounbookcaseA piece of furniture with shelves for holding books.B1
“The bookcase reached almost to the ceiling.”

Also accepted in games: bookshelf

Where it comes from

From book + case.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Around the House, A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 10 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word

bookcase in the wild

Above this surface, there is typically a bookcase, which is often enclosed by a pair of glass doors.
Secretary desk
A bookcase may be fitted with glass doors that can be closed to protect the books from dust or moisture.
Bookcase
The term is sometimes also used for any form of cabinet or enclosed bookcase.
Cupboard
The Leistler Bookcase is a massive, historic bookcase made out of oak.
Leistler Bookcase
Voskuijl built the famous bookcase that covered the hiding place.
Johannes Hendrik Voskuijl

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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