commonplace book: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1/C2Formal, Literary, Academic
Quick answer
What does “commonplace book” mean?
A personal notebook in which a person records quotations, ideas, observations, and other noteworthy information collected from reading and life.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A personal notebook in which a person records quotations, ideas, observations, and other noteworthy information collected from reading and life.
Historically, a specific type of manuscript created during the Renaissance and early modern period for organizing knowledge by thematic headings, serving as a personal intellectual repository and a tool for composition. In modern contexts, it can refer to any curated personal collection of written extracts and notes, including digital forms.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is largely identical and equally rare in both dialects. The term is primarily used in academic/literary contexts concerning historical practices or personal knowledge management.
Connotations
Connotes scholarship, intellectual curiosity, and historical practice (e.g., Renaissance scholars, Enlightenment thinkers). In modern 'bullet journal' or 'note-taking' communities, it may carry a deliberate, old-fashioned charm.
Frequency
Very low frequency in general corpora. Slightly higher frequency in academic texts relating to history of the book, manuscript studies, or rhetoric.
Grammar
How to Use “commonplace book” in a Sentence
NP keep/maintain/compile + a commonplace bookNP make an entry in + a commonplace bookNP be recorded in + a commonplace bookVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “commonplace book” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The student was advised to commonplace his readings systematically.
- She commonplace'd interesting quotes for her thesis.
American English
- He commonplaced passages from Emerson in his leather-bound journal.
- Authors of the period would routinely commonplace their sources.
adverb
British English
- (Not standardly used as an adverb from this noun.)
American English
- (Not standardly used as an adverb from this noun.)
adjective
British English
- The commonplace-book tradition flourished in the seventeenth century.
- Her study focused on commonplace-book practices.
American English
- He maintained a commonplace-book habit for years.
- The digital app mimics a commonplace-book function.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare. Potentially used metaphorically for a curated collection of business ideas or competitor analysis.
Academic
Used in historical, literary, and rhetorical studies to describe a specific practice of knowledge management from classical antiquity through the 19th century.
Everyday
Very rare. Might be used by enthusiasts of journaling, note-taking methods, or 'self-directed learning'.
Technical
Used in book history, manuscript studies, and palaeography as a specific term for a manuscript genre.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “commonplace book”
- Using 'commonplace' as an adjective to describe the book (e.g., 'a very commonplace book'). Incorrect pluralization: 'commonplaces books' (correct: 'commonplace books').
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. A diary records personal experiences and daily events chronologically. A commonplace book is a curated collection of external material (quotations, ideas) organized thematically for future reference and inspiration.
Yes, especially in academic historical study. It has also seen a revival among modern note-takers, journalers, and proponents of 'personal knowledge management' who use digital or analog systems inspired by the historical practice.
A scrapbook often contains physical memorabilia (tickets, photos, clippings) and is less focused on textual organization. A commonplace book is predominantly textual and was traditionally organized under logical or thematic headings (loci communes).
Historically, 'to commonplace' was used as a verb meaning to enter an item into a commonplace book. This usage is now archaic but is occasionally revived in academic or descriptive writing about the practice.
A personal notebook in which a person records quotations, ideas, observations, and other noteworthy information collected from reading and life.
Commonplace book is usually formal, literary, academic in register.
Commonplace book: in British English it is pronounced /ˈkɒm.ən.pleɪs ˌbʊk/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈkɑː.mən.pleɪs ˌbʊk/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A writer's quarry (related concept)”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: A book for placing common topics – it's a COMMON gathering PLACE for ideas in a BOOK.
Conceptual Metaphor
KNOWLEDGE IS A RESOURCE TO BE MINED AND STORED (quarry, treasury); THE MIND IS A CONTAINER (filled with excerpts).
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary purpose of a commonplace book?