Definition of vade mecum
vade mecums
1 : a book for ready reference : manual
2 : something regularly carried about by a person
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Vade mecum is Latin for go with me (it derives from the Latin verb vadere, meaning "to go.") In English, "vade mecum" has been used (since at least 1629) of manuals or guidebooks sufficiently compact to be carried in a deep pocket. But from the beginning, it has also been used for such constant companions as gold, medications, and memorized gems of wisdom.
Origin and Etymology of vade mecum
borrowed from Latin, “go with me”
First Known Use: 1629
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