sourcebook

noun

source·​book ˈsȯrs-ˌbu̇k 

: a fundamental document or record (as of history, literature, art, or religion) on which subsequent writings, compositions, opinions, beliefs, or practices are based

also : a collection of such documents

Examples of sourcebook in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Because Game Masters tell their own stories, the best RPG sourcebooks give more detail about areas outside the original media. —Rob Wieland, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025

Beyond the original boxed sets, the company is looking to reprint the adventures, sourcebooks and other elements of the full line for both editions. —Rob Wieland, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024

Books like Xanathar's Guide to Everything and Tasha's Cauldron of Everything will be codified and unified by a new sourcebook at some point, but all of it will be compatible with 5th Edition material. —Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 26 Jan. 2024

The Education Department named two sourcebooks for the Tampa Bay Times. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for sourcebook

• kinderhook
• meadowbrook
• overlook
• overtook
• pocketbook
• storybook
• tillamook
• undertook
• betook
• casebook
• chapbook
• checkbook