Grimoire
noun /ˈɡrɪmwɑːr/ — A book of magic — spells, invocations, and secret knowledge.
Definition
A book of magic spells, invocations, and instructions for magical rituals; historically, any manual of esoteric knowledge.
Beyond the definition
A grimoire is not a novel or a textbook — it's a book that holds knowledge meant to be used, not just read. The word carries a specific gravity: this is the kind of book that matters. Writers and readers sometimes describe the books that changed them as grimoires — books that felt like they were written for you specifically.
Origin & history
From Old French grammaire 'grammar, book of learning', a word that became associated with occult learning because Latin was incomprehensible to most people and seemed magical. The word 'glamour' (originally a Scots word for magic spell) shares the same root.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The library's special collections included a 16th-century grimoire still sealed with its original wax.
She kept a personal grimoire — a notebook where she collected phrases, remedies, and private knowledge.
He treated the recipe book like a grimoire: consulted solemnly, never improvised from.
Synonyms
book of spells, spellbook, manual, compendium, codex
Antonyms
novel, fiction, guide
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Studying ancient objects
An archaeologist examines a tablet with repeated geometric shapes, an abstract seal, and blank parchment by candlelight.
The tablet and other objects act as a grimoire—a manual of esoteric knowledge. The archaeologist is treating these ancient, mysterious items as an instruction set, hoping to unlock the magic or secret rituals they once contained.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration