"bookstave" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*stebʰ-"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "root"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "bocstaff"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English bocstaff",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "bocstaf",
        "3": "",
        "4": "letter; symbol; written character"
      },
      "expansion": "bocstaf (“letter; symbol; written character”)",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "bōcstæf",
        "4": "",
        "5": "letter, written symbol"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English bōcstæf (“letter, written symbol”)",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*bōkastabaz"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *bōkastabaz",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "book",
        "3": "stave"
      },
      "expansion": "book + stave",
      "name": "compound"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "staff"
      },
      "expansion": "staff",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "no",
        "2": "bokstav"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian bokstav",
      "name": "cog"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "bokstav"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish bokstav",
      "name": "cog"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "bogstav"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish bogstav",
      "name": "cog"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Buchstabe"
      },
      "expansion": "German Buchstabe",
      "name": "cog"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "boekstaaf"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch boekstaaf",
      "name": "cog"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle English bocstaff, bocstaf (“letter; symbol; written character”), from Old English bōcstæf (“letter, written symbol”), from Proto-Germanic *bōkastabaz, equivalent to book + stave (inflected form of staff). Compare modern Norwegian bokstav, Swedish bokstav, Danish bogstav, modern German Buchstabe, modern Dutch boekstaaf.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "bookstaves",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "bookstave (plural bookstaves)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "extra": "letter, alphabetic symbol",
          "word": "bookstaff"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2018, Christopher Ocker, Luther, Conflict, and Christendom",
          "text": "[…] “[Doctor Martin] had undercut the pope, cardinals, and the great bishops, ... he had proved they could not offer so much as a bookstave from holy scripture to prove that their great power and lordship were based on God's command.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2019, James Meek, To Calais, In Ordinary Time",
          "text": "'I can't read bookstaves, but Holiday learned himself,' said Softly. […] 'He learned me a bare five bookstaves, but it was enough to read a whole word.'",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2020, D. Vance Smith, Arts of Dying, page 43",
          "text": "The poetic dialogue between Solomon and Saturn not only calls the rune for R the “best of bookstaves” (bocstafa brego), but it also spells out the Pater Noster, acrostically with runes, […]",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of bookstaff (“letter, alphabetic symbol”)"
      ],
      "id": "en-bookstave-en-noun-FT~3kgyC",
      "links": [
        [
          "bookstaff",
          "bookstaff#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(rare or archaic) Alternative form of bookstaff (“letter, alphabetic symbol”)"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative",
        "archaic",
        "rare"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈbʊk.stɪv/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "bookstave"
}

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*stebʰ-"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "root"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "bocstaff"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English bocstaff",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "bocstaf",
        "3": "",
        "4": "letter; symbol; written character"
      },
      "expansion": "bocstaf (“letter; symbol; written character”)",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "bōcstæf",
        "4": "",
        "5": "letter, written symbol"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English bōcstæf (“letter, written symbol”)",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*bōkastabaz"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *bōkastabaz",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "book",
        "3": "stave"
      },
      "expansion": "book + stave",
      "name": "compound"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "staff"
      },
      "expansion": "staff",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "no",
        "2": "bokstav"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian bokstav",
      "name": "cog"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "bokstav"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish bokstav",
      "name": "cog"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "bogstav"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish bogstav",
      "name": "cog"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Buchstabe"
      },
      "expansion": "German Buchstabe",
      "name": "cog"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "boekstaaf"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch boekstaaf",
      "name": "cog"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle English bocstaff, bocstaf (“letter; symbol; written character”), from Old English bōcstæf (“letter, written symbol”), from Proto-Germanic *bōkastabaz, equivalent to book + stave (inflected form of staff). Compare modern Norwegian bokstav, Swedish bokstav, Danish bogstav, modern German Buchstabe, modern Dutch boekstaaf.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "bookstaves",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "bookstave (plural bookstaves)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "extra": "letter, alphabetic symbol",
          "word": "bookstaff"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "English 2-syllable words",
        "English compound terms",
        "English countable nouns",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English nouns",
        "English terms derived from Middle English",
        "English terms derived from Old English",
        "English terms derived from Proto-Germanic",
        "English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European",
        "English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *stebʰ-",
        "English terms inherited from Middle English",
        "English terms inherited from Old English",
        "English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic",
        "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
        "English terms with archaic senses",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with rare senses",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2018, Christopher Ocker, Luther, Conflict, and Christendom",
          "text": "[…] “[Doctor Martin] had undercut the pope, cardinals, and the great bishops, ... he had proved they could not offer so much as a bookstave from holy scripture to prove that their great power and lordship were based on God's command.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2019, James Meek, To Calais, In Ordinary Time",
          "text": "'I can't read bookstaves, but Holiday learned himself,' said Softly. […] 'He learned me a bare five bookstaves, but it was enough to read a whole word.'",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2020, D. Vance Smith, Arts of Dying, page 43",
          "text": "The poetic dialogue between Solomon and Saturn not only calls the rune for R the “best of bookstaves” (bocstafa brego), but it also spells out the Pater Noster, acrostically with runes, […]",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of bookstaff (“letter, alphabetic symbol”)"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "bookstaff",
          "bookstaff#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(rare or archaic) Alternative form of bookstaff (“letter, alphabetic symbol”)"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative",
        "archaic",
        "rare"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈbʊk.stɪv/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "bookstave"
}