A tome is a book — but a big, heavy, serious-looking one. Think of a thick old volume with a hard cover that you need two hands to carry. The word tells you nothing good or bad about what is inside; it is about weight and seriousness of appearance.

A tome書 is a book — but a big, heavy, serious-looking one不過是一本又大又重、看起來很嚴肅的書。Think of想像 a thick old volume with a hard cover一本厚重的舊書、硬皮封面 that you need two hands to carry要用兩隻手才拿得動。The word這個字 tells you nothing good or bad about what is inside並不透露裡面內容好不好，it它 is about weight and seriousness of appearance講的是重量和外表看起來的嚴肅感。

Because of that, 'tome' is almost always used with a little humour or a little tiredness: someone hands you a 700-page report and you say 'thanks for the tome'. Teachers say it about textbooks students are not going to finish. You would not call a paperback novel a tome, and you would never call a magazine one.

Because of that正因如此，'tome'這個字 is almost always used with a little humour or a little tiredness幾乎都是帶點幽默或帶點疲憊地在用：someone有人 hands you a 700-page report遞給你一份七百頁的報告 and you你 say 'thanks for the tome'.就會說「謝謝你這本大部頭」。Teachers老師 say it about textbooks students are not going to finish會這樣說學生看不完的課本。You你 would not call a paperback novel a tome不會把平裝小說叫做 tome，and you而 would never call a magazine one更不會這樣叫雜誌。

Its very old meaning is different and worth knowing if you read older books: a tome was one volume of a work published in several volumes — volume 1, volume 2 — which is why the Greek root means 'a piece cut off'. That sense is mostly gone from daily English; today it is just 'a big fat book'.

Its它非常古老 very old meaning是不同的意思 is different and worth knowing if you read older books而且如果你讀比較舊的書值得知道：a tome那時的 tome was one volume of a work published in several volumes是一部分成好幾冊出版的作品裡的其中一冊——volume 1, volume 2第一冊、第二冊——which is why the Greek root means 'a piece cut off'.這也是為什麼希臘字根的意思是「被切下來的一塊」。That sense這個意思 is mostly gone from daily English在日常英文裡已經幾乎消失了；today今天 it just 'a big fat book'.就只是「一本又大又厚的書」。

Note also that 'tome' is quite a literary word itself. Using it makes you sound slightly bookish, which is part of the joke when people use it.

Note also另外要注意 that 'tome' is quite a literary word itselftome 本身就是個相當文學性的字。Using it用這個字 makes you sound slightly bookish會讓你聽起來有點書卷氣，which is part of the joke when people use it這也是大家用這個字時好笑的地方之一。