bookend

Volume holder's partner

Bookends are supports placed at either end of a row of books to keep them upright on a shelf.

They come in pairs, which gives rise to the figurative use: things that bookend something frame it at beginning and end: Two anthems bookended the ceremony.

Events or items that match or mirror each other may be called bookends: The twins were bookends—one on each side of their mother.

functional

shelf

Horizontal storage surface

  • holderOne who possesses
  • rackFrame for holding items
  • standUpright support structure

organize · storage · wooden · metal · plastic · ceramic · marble · brass · office · study

symmetry

pair

Two matching things

balance · complement · counterpart · set · duo · tandem · bilateral · coordinated · corresponding · flanking

stability

support

To uphold or sustain

secure · steady · prop · brace · upright · prevent · lean · topple · heavy · solid

temporal

beginning

Initial stage of something

first · last · opening · closing · alpha · omega · inaugural · final · premiere · finale

decorative

sculpture

Shaped three-dimensional art

carving · statuette · vase · antique · ceramic · bronze · marble · handcrafted · elephant · globe

metaphor

bracket

Support or category

mark · define · open · close · parentheses · encompass · span · delimit · contain · enclose

Categories
Opposites
positional/structural role

bookendmiddle

Central point or position

center · midpoint · interior · core · heart

containment function

bookendcontents

What something holds

filling · substance · meat · interstitial

function as support/containment

bookendshelf

Horizontal storage surface

gap · void · open space

Family

bookends, bookended, bookending

Familiarity
Top 50,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G