[L. bibliothēca library, collection of books, ad. Gr. βιβλιοθήκη book-case, library, f. βιβλίον book + θήκη repository; used also by Jerome, and after him, commonly in med.L., for the BIBLE, being evidently in earlier literary use than biblia: hence OE. biblioþéce was the original name of the Bible in Eng.] a. (in OE.) The Scriptures, the Bible. b. mod. A collection of books or treatises, a library. c. A bibliographer’s catalogue.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Test. (Gr.), 16. Hieronimus ure biblioþecan ʓebrohte to Ledene of Greciscum bocum and of Ebreiscum. Ibid., 14. Se saltere ys an boc on ðǽre biblioþecan.
a. 1824. D’Israeli, Cur. Lit. (1839), III. 344. Literary bibliothèques (or bibliothecas) will always present to us … an immense harvest of errors.
1879. Maclear, Celts, viii. 133. The Old and New Testaments, in the form of a Bibliotheca, or Bible.
