bibliography

noun

bib·​li·​og·​ra·​phy ˌbi-blē-ˈä-grə-fē How to pronounce bibliography (audio)
plural bibliographies
1
: the history, identification, or description of writings or publications
2
a
: a list often with descriptive or critical notes of writings relating to a particular subject, period, or author
a bibliography of modern poetry
b
: a list of works written by an author or printed by a publishing house
compiled a complete bibliography of John Donne
3
: the works or a list of the works referred to in a text or consulted by the author in its production
The book's bibliography contains over 400 items.
bibliographic adjective
or less commonly bibliographical
bibliographically adverb

Examples of bibliography in a Sentence

The instructor provided the students with an excellent bibliography on local history. The book includes a lengthy bibliography.
Recent Examples on the Web Corralling all the debutante balls, starter marriages, and hush-hush dalliances of Capote’s inner circle demanded significant research—the bibliography of Capote’s Women is extensive—but the context only made Capote’s deception juicier. Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 25 Jan. 2024 The good news is that House of Usher, an adaptation of not just the eponymous story, but of Edgar Allan Poe’s bibliography at large, is up there with his best efforts—a return to form for a creator who went a bit astray with last year’s The Midnight Club. TIME, 12 Oct. 2023 The bibliography at the end of the book, assembling all of the publications Tipton-Martin used as resources, is a collection of fantastic references. Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 18 Nov. 2023 Houseman’s book itself, published by Princeton University Press, is a superb example of a scholarly biography, highly readable, with a helpful chronology at the front and more than a hundred pages of notes and bibliography at the back. Mary Norris, The New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2023 Penguin provides introductory essays; superb analyses by the series editor, Ben Saunders; and extensive bibliographies. Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 8 Sep. 2023 In one case study offered by Reed, an Egyptian limestone sculptor’s model was for sale in 2014 with a scant provenance lacking both an exhibition history and a bibliography. Julie Belcove, Robb Report, 5 Aug. 2023 These works, which have never been reprinted or translated, have since been excised from the Kundera corpus, and none of them appear in his official bibliography. Jared Marcel Pollen, The New Republic, 12 July 2023 Includes a note about the history of the black West and a bibliography. Yana Kunichoff, The Arizona Republic, 13 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bibliography.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

probably from New Latin bibliographia, from Greek, the copying of books, from bibli- + -graphia -graphy

First Known Use

1689, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bibliography was in 1689

Dictionary Entries Near bibliography

Cite this Entry

“Bibliography.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bibliography. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bibliography

noun
bib·​li·​og·​ra·​phy ˌbib-lē-ˈäg-rə-fē How to pronounce bibliography (audio)
plural bibliographies
: a list of writings about a subject or author or by an author
bibliographic adjective
or bibliographical
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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