book-length

The compound adjective 'book-length' is a modern English formation following the productive pattern of noun-noun compounding. The first element, 'book', traces back to Proto-Germanic 'bōks', originally referring to a beechwood tablet used for writing, highlighting the deep connection between the material and the recorded content. The second element, 'length', originates from the Proto-Germanic adjective 'langgaz' (long), with the abstract noun suffix '-þu' creating a term for linear measurement. When combined in the 20th century, likely in publishing contexts, the literal construction "having the length of a book" efficiently describes a work whose textual extent meets the conventional standard for a standalone volume, demonstrating how English creates precise descriptive terms through transparent compounding.

Structure: book (noun) + length (noun) - book: From Old English 'bōc', meaning a written document or a set of written sheets. In this compound, it functions as a noun attributively modifying 'length'. - length: From Old English 'lengþu', derived from 'lang' (long) + the noun-forming suffix '-þu' (-th). It functions as the head noun in the compound, denoting a measure of extent.