Meanings
bookbinder1
plural bookbinders
- A person whose profession is binding pages together to form books.
2 more examples
Places of Employment: About 69,000 bookbinders and bindery workers were employed [in the United States] in 1978. Many worked in shops that specialize in bookbinding; others work in the bindery departments of book printing firms, commercial printing plants, and large libraries. Some bookbinders worked for the Federal Government. Although bookbinders work in all parts of the country, employment is concentrated in large printing centers such as New York City, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. […] Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement: A 4- or 5-year apprenticeship, which includes on-the-job training as well as related classroom instruction, generally is required to qualify as a skilled bookbinder. Apprenticeship applicants usually must have a high school education, mechanical aptitude, and be at least 18 years of age. […] Employment Outlook: Employment of bookbinders and bindery workers is expected to increase more slowly than the average for all occupations through the 1980's. Nevertheless, some job openings will arise as experienced workers retire, die, or change occupations. Despite the anticipated increase in the amount of bound printed materials, employment growth will be limited by the increasing mechanization of bindery operations. Job opportunities are expected to be better for skilled bookbinders than for bindery workers since many tasks that bindery workers used [to] perform by hand will be done by machine.
1980, United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Bookbinders and bindery workers”, in Occupational Outlook Handbook (Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics), Bulletin 2075, 1980–1981 edition, United States Government printing officeDuring his seven-year apprenticeship to a bookbinder, [Michael] Faraday came across a single volume that changed his life: Isaac Watts's The Improvement of the Mind. Now largely forgotten, it was an early self-help book that contained a list of sixteen general rules for the improvement of knowledge. It also contained an overview of books and reading, a guide for study and meditation, tips on improving one's memory, and other suggestions for the betterment of the self. Faraday happened to read it just as he was developing a fascination with science, particularly the then-mysterious field of electricity, and he embraced the book's principles and suggestions.
2017, Bob Berman, Zapped: From Infrared to X-rays, the Curious History of Invisible Light, Little, Brown and Company, →ISBN, page 79Synonyms: binder[Appendix:Glossary, bibliopegist
Bookbinder2
- A surname.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA person whose profession is binding pages together to form books.
Origin
- Middle Englishbokebynder
- Englishbookbinder
From Middle English bokebynder, bok-bindere, equivalent to book + binder.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic صَحَّاف
- صَحَّاف (ṣaḥḥāf)person whose profession is binding books
Bulgarian книговезец
- книговезец (knigovezec)person whose profession is binding books
Catalan enquadernador
- enquadernadorperson whose profession is binding books
Czech knihař, knihvazač
- knihařperson whose profession is binding books
- knihvazačperson whose profession is binding books
- vazačperson whose profession is binding books
Danish bogbinder
- bogbinderperson whose profession is binding books
Dutch boekbinder
- boekbinderperson whose profession is binding books
Estonian raamatuköitja, köitja
- raamatuköitjaperson whose profession is binding books
- köitjaperson whose profession is binding books
Finnish kirjansitoja
- kirjansitojaperson whose profession is binding books
French relieur, relieuse
- relieurperson whose profession is binding books
- relieuseperson whose profession is binding books
German Buchbinder, Buchbinderin
- Buchbinderperson whose profession is binding books
- Buchbinderinperson whose profession is binding books
Greek βιβλιοδέτης
- βιβλιοδέτης (vivliodétis)person whose profession is binding books
Hungarian könyvkötő
- könyvkötőperson whose profession is binding books
Icelandic bókbindari
- bókbindariperson whose profession is binding books
Italian legatore, legatrice
- legatoreperson whose profession is binding books
- legatriceperson whose profession is binding books
Latin glūtinātōr, bibliopēgus
- glūtinātōrperson whose profession is binding books
- bibliopēgusperson whose profession is binding books
Latvian grāmatsējējs
- grāmatsējējsperson whose profession is binding books
Lithuanian knygrišỹs, knygrišė̃
- knygrišỹsperson whose profession is binding books
- knygrišė̃person whose profession is binding books
Norwegian Bokmål bokbinder
- bokbinderperson whose profession is binding books
Polish introligator, introligatorka
- introligatorperson whose profession is binding books
- introligatorkaperson whose profession is binding books
Portuguese encadernador, encadernadora
- encadernadorperson whose profession is binding books
- encadernadoraperson whose profession is binding books
Romanian legător, legătoare
- legătorperson whose profession is binding books
- legătoareperson whose profession is binding books
Russian переплётчик, переплётчица
- переплётчик (perepljótčik)person whose profession is binding books
- переплётчица (perepljótčica)person whose profession is binding books
Spanish encuadernador
- encuadernadorperson whose profession is binding books
Swedish bokbindare
- bokbindareperson whose profession is binding books
Tagalog tagabalat-aklat
- tagabalat-aklatperson whose profession is binding books
Ukrainian паліту́рник, паліту́рниця
- паліту́рник (palitúrnyk)person whose profession is binding books
- паліту́рниця (palitúrnycja)person whose profession is binding books
Cite this entry
bookbinder. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bookbinder
“bookbinder.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bookbinder. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bookbinder,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bookbinder.
Source: bookbinder on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.