From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
library
n 1: a room where books are kept; "they had brandy in the
library"
2: a collection of literary documents or records kept for
reference or borrowing
3: a depository built to contain books and other materials for
reading and study [syn: library, depository library]
4: (computing) a collection of standard programs and subroutines
that are stored and available for immediate use [syn:
library, program library, subroutine library]
5: a building that houses a collection of books and other
materials
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Library \Li"bra*ry\ (l[imac]"br[asl]*r[y^]), n.; pl. Libraries
(-r[i^]z). [OE. librairie, F. librairie bookseller's shop,
book trade, formerly, a library, fr. libraire bookseller, L.
librarius, from liber book; cf. libraria bookseller's shop,
librarium bookcase, It. libreria. See Libel.]
1. A considerable collection of books kept for use, and not
as merchandise; as, a private library; a public library.
[1913 Webster]
2. A building or apartment appropriated for holding such a
collection of books. --Holland.
[1913 Webster]
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008) [foldoc]:
library
<programming, library> A collection of subroutines and
functions stored in one or more files, usually in compiled
form, for linking with other programs. Libraries are one of
the earliest forms of organised code reuse. They are often
supplied by the operating system or {software development
environment} developer to be used in many different programs.
The routines in a library may be general purpose or designed
for some specific function such as three dimensional animated
graphics.
Libraries are linked with the user's program to form a
complete executable. The linking may be static linking
or, in some systems, dynamic linking.
(1998-11-21)