Noun
(linguistics) A word that is encountered in writing but not usually in speech, which people may therefore not know how to pronounce (correctly).
(linguistics) A word that is borrowed into a vernacular from a closely related literary language, thus being etymologically related to native vocabulary, but not showing regular sound changes.
French loyal and légal are both from Latin lēgālis. While the former was inherited, the latter is a book word.
book-word (plural book-words)
Alternative form of book word
book-word