Other forms: handbooks
A handbook is a short book of practical instructions. The staff handbook, a handbook of birds, consult the handbook.
It is meant to be looked things up in rather than read through, which is what separates it from a textbook. The name says it plainly, since a handbook is small enough to keep to hand.
1nounhandbookA short book of practical instructions.
“The staff handbook answers most of the questions new starters ask.”
handbook is a book.
Old English handboc is hand plus book, and the modern use was reinforced by German Handbuch.
German
Handbuch — handbook
Old English
handbōc — handbook
Middle English
handbok
English, today
handbook
From Middle English handbok, from Old English handbōc (“handbook”), possibly reinforced as a German Handbuch (“handbook”). by surface analysis, hand + book. Compare West Frisian hânboek (“handbook”), Dutch handboek (“handbook”), German Low German Handbook (“handbook”), Danish håndbog (“handbook”), Swedish handbok (“handbook”), Icelandic handbók (“handbook”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA