library

noun, plural li·brar·ies.

1. a place set apart to contain books, periodicals, and other material for reading, viewing, listening, study, or reference, as a room, set of rooms, or building where books may be read or borrowed.
2. a public body organizing and maintaining such an establishment.
3. a collection of manuscripts, publications, and other materials for reading, viewing, listening, study, or reference.
4. a collection of any materials for study and enjoyment, as films, musical recordings, or maps.
5. a commercial establishment lending books for a fixed charge; a lending library.
6. a series of books of similar character or alike in size, binding, etc., issued by a single publishing house.
7. Biology. a collection of standard materials or formulations by which specimens are identified.
8. canon1(def 9).
9. Computers. a collection of software or data usually reflecting a specific theme or application.

noun plural -braries

1. a room or set of rooms where books and other literary materials are kept
2. a collection of literary materials, films, CDs, children’s toys, etc, kept for borrowing or reference
3. the building or institution that houses such a collectiona public library
4. a set of books published as a series, often in a similar format
5. computing a collection of standard programs and subroutines for immediate use, usually stored on disk or some other storage device
6. a collection of specific items for reference or checking againsta library of genetic material

n.place for books, late 14c., from Anglo-French librarie, Old French librairie “collection of books” (14c.), noun use of adj. librarius “concerning books,” from Latin librarium “chest for books,” from liber (genitive libri) “book, paper, parchment,” originally “the inner bark of trees,” probably a derivative of PIE root *leub(h)- “to strip, to peel” (see leaf). The equivalent word in most Romance languages now means “bookseller’s shop.” Old English had bochord, literally “book hord.”