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public library

public library

34 1.0
A place where anyone can borrow books and use services for free
  • noun
  • /ˈpʌblɪk ˈlaɪbrəri/
translation icon : biblioteca pública
  • The public library offers free access to a wide range of books and resources.
  • local public library
  • borrow from public libraries
  • resources at public libraries

OK, there are so many things at your Public Library.

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Examples

  • Tutors can use the resources of the public library when developing their lesson plans for struggling readers.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Here in Milwaukee at the Shorewood Public Library, we have our MKE Stoic Fellowship.

  • You ever go to the public library?

  • Well, we first met, of all places, in the public library.

  • Can you get it from the public library?

  • Return these to the public library.

  • Sign up for a workshop at a nearby college, public library, or community center.

    Academic text (2011)
  • And, of course, she is a big supporter of the public library's summer reading program.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The program is partnered with the major public library in Baltimore City.

    Academic text (2013)
  • We spent an afternoon together in the Salt Lake City Public Library memorizing phone books, which was scintillating.

Synonyms

library
vspublic library
482 1.0

A collection of books kept for people to borrow or study

is funded by public money and open free for general use
lib
vspublic library
  • Informal
3 9.2

A place with books you can read or borrow

is supported by public funds and free for everyone to use
lending library
vspublic library
3 2.3

A place where you borrow books to take home for a short time

is funded by public money and gives free access beyond mere borrowing

How Public

public library
34 1.0
library
482 1.0
subscription
  • Texting
68 2.9

Surface Forms

Morphology

public + library

The meaning of 'public library' is directly and transparently derived from 'public' (open/for everyone) + 'library' (a place for reading and borrowing), so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer a library open to the general public. This is a straightforward, compositional noun phrase following common cross-linguistic patterns, making it immediately comprehensible without special prior exposure.

Etymology

Public library comes from the simple idea of a library as a place with books that is public, meaning open to everyone. Towns and cities began to pay for a shared place of books so people could borrow them without paying, so it now means 'a library paid for by the town or city and open to everyone'.