- a version of a literary work that is rendered, stored, distributed and read in digital form. Contrasted with a printed book.
- an electronic device whose sole or principal function is to display books in digital form.
An ebook is an electronic copy of a book. You can start reading an ebook as soon as you’ve paid for it, so there is no waiting for delivery. Ebooks also offer the convenience of size and portability; you can store your entire library on a laptop or other device.
Ebooks can be read online in your browser, requiring no extra software. But in order to download an ebook, you need to download a small piece of free software known as an ebook reader.