pocket edition
- noun
- /ˈpɑkɪt ɪˈdɪʃən/
- I bought a pocket edition of the guidebook so that I could explore the city without carrying a heavy book.
Examples
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The author released a pocket edition of her book, making it convenient for travelers to read anywhere.
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They publish those pocket editions, two bits in any drugstore.
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I consult AHD4 or AHD5 daily, among other dictionaries; 4 for convenience (because I have a pocket edition) and 5 for, well, the things you say: excellent usage notes, fine definitions, stellar etymological detail, and so on.
Blog text (5) -
He always carries a pocket edition of his favorite novel in his bag for easy reading on the go.
Synonyms
How Portable
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a small, portable version of a book' is directly and transparently built from 'pocket' (small, portable receptacle) and 'edition' (a version of a book). This compositional sense follows a common and cross-linguistic naming pattern (e.g., 'pocketbook', 'pocket edition') and would be readily inferable by a B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
Pocket edition comes from the simple idea of a book small enough to fit in your pocket. Publishers printed a smaller edition so people could carry it with them, so today it means a small, 'easy to carry' version of a book.