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reference book

 - 3 dictionary results

reference book

–noun
1. a book containing useful facts or specially organized information, as an encyclopedia, dictionary, atlas, yearbook, etc.
2. Also called pass, passbook. South African. a domestic identity document carried by black citizens.

Origin:
1885–90
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pass·book   (pās'bŏŏk')   
n.  
  1. See bankbook.

  2. A book in which a merchant records credit sales.

  3. A document formerly issued to a Black person in South Africa and used to enforce certain legal and economic restrictions under the apartheid system. Also called reference book.

reference book  
n.  
  1. A book, such as a dictionary or encyclopedia, to which one can refer for authoritative information.

  2. See passbook.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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