from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Bible \Bi"ble\ (b[imac]"b'l), n. [F. bible, L. biblia, pl., fr.
Gr. bibli`a, pl. of bibli`on, dim. of bi`blos, by`blos, book,
prop. Egyptian papyrus.]
1. A book. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
[1913 Webster]
2. {The Book} by way of eminence, -- that is, the book which
is made up of the writings accepted by Christians as of
divine origin and authority, whether such writings be in
the original language, or translated; the Scriptures of
the Old and New Testaments; -- sometimes in a restricted
sense, the Old Testament; as, King James's Bible; Douay
Bible; Luther's Bible. Also, the book which is made up of
writings similarly accepted by the Jews; as, a rabbinical
Bible.
[1913 Webster]
3. A book containing the sacred writings belonging to any
religion; as, the Koran is often called the Mohammedan
Bible.
[1913 Webster]
4. (Fig.) a book with an authoritative exposition of some
topic, respected by many who are experts in the field.
[PJC]
{Bible Society}, an association for securing the
multiplication and wide distribution of the Bible.
{Douay Bible}. See {Douay Bible}.
{Geneva Bible}. See under {Geneva}.
[1913 Webster]