Standard Lemma guide

bookend

noun · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈbʊkɛnd/
  • British, Southern, Standard: /ˈbɵkɛnd/
  • Australian, New-Zealand: /ˈbʊkend/
  • Northern-Ireland, Scotland: /ˈbʉkɛnd/
  • rhymes with -ʊkɛnd
  • CMU ARPABET: B UH1 K EH2 N D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A heavy object or moveable support placed at one or both ends of a row of books for the purpose of keeping them upright.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: book support

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Something that comes before, after, or at both sides of something else.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To come before and after, or at both sides of.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, often, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: flank

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

a support placed at the end of a row of books to keep them upright (on a shelf or table)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: support

History

Etymology

From book + end.

Across languages

Translations

22 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: aguantallibres — object designed to keep books upright
  • Chinese Mandarin: 書擋 /书挡 (shūdǎng) — object designed to keep books upright
  • Danish: bogstøtte — object designed to keep books upright
  • Dutch: boekensteun — object designed to keep books upright
  • Esperanto: libroapogilo — object designed to keep books upright
  • Finnish: kirjatuki — object designed to keep books upright
  • French: serre-livre — object designed to keep books upright
  • German: Buchstütze — object designed to keep books upright
  • Icelandic: bókastoð — object designed to keep books upright
  • Italian: reggilibro — object designed to keep books upright
  • Japanese: ブックエンド (bukkuendo) — object designed to keep books upright
  • Japanese: 本立て (hondate) — object designed to keep books upright
  • Korean: 북엔드 (bugendeu) — object designed to keep books upright
  • Norwegian: bokstøtte — object designed to keep books upright
  • Portuguese: bibliocanto — object designed to keep books upright
  • Russian: книгодержа́тель (knigoderžátelʹ) — object designed to keep books upright
  • Russian: подпо́рка для книг (podpórka dlja knig) — object designed to keep books upright
  • Spanish: sujetalibros — object designed to keep books upright
  • Swedish: bokstöd — object designed to keep books upright
  • Welsh: pentan llyfrau — object designed to keep books upright
  • German: einrahmen — to come before and after, or at both sides of
  • Hungarian: közrefog — to come before and after, or at both sides of