Forms: 1–2 bócere, 2 bokere, 3 bocare, 9 booker. [OE. bócere, corresp. to OHG. buohhâri, Goth. bôkareis,:—OTeut. *bôkârjo-z, f. bok- book; but in the modern senses formed anew on BOOK v.]
† 1. A writer of books, a scribe. Obs.
c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., Matt. viii. 19. Ða ʓenealæhte him an bocere, and cwæð.
c. 1175. Cott. Hom., 245. Þa sunder halȝan and þa boceras.
c. 1205. Lay., 32125. Alle þa bocares wise.
2. One who enters in a book; a book-keeper b. spec. (see quot. 1863.)
1863. All Y. Round, 1 July, 472/2. Persons technically known as ‘bookers,’ who were, in fact, spies, travelling in the omnibus, and yielding to the company an account of every passenger.
1881. Whitehead, Hops, 62. The number of bushels … is entered in a book by a booker.
1883. J. Y. Stratton, Hops & Hop-pickers, 31. All being carefully entered in the account kept by the ‘booker.’
3. techn.
1864. H. Bruce, in Parlt., 14 June. With regard to the finishers and bookers … representation had been made to the Government.
