book
The police book book thieves.
The sentence means that law enforcement officials process charges against individuals who steal books.
Meanings (pronounced /bʊk/)
a written or printed work consisting of bound pages
- She finished reading the book in one sitting.
- His latest book topped the bestseller lists for months.
to reserve a place, ticket, or service in advance; or, in slang, to leave quickly
- Please book a table for four at seven o'clock.
- When the alarm went off, we booked it out the back door.
Word origin
From Old English bōc, from Proto-Germanic *bōks (literally 'beech tree' — early Germanic peoples reportedly carved runes on beech tablets, hence the name). The verb sense ('to reserve, to enter into a book') developed in late Middle English from the practice of recording reservations and accounts in physical ledgers.
Fun fact
'Book' shares its Germanic root with the German word 'Buche' (beech tree) — early runes were carved into beech wood. In Old English, 'bōc' could mean either the wood or the writing on it; over centuries, the 'writing' sense dominated, leaving us with the modern dual meaning.