絶版

• 読み: ぜっぱん
• ローマ字: zeppan
• 漢字の分解: 絶 (zetsu) — cut off, cease; 版 (pan) — printing, edition
• 発音: /ze.p.pa.ɴ/

意味

Out of print; discontinued publication. The status of a book or edition that is no longer being produced by its publisher.

A publishing term. When a book goes 絶版 (zeppan ni naru), the publisher has permanently ceased printing it. Unlike 品切れ (shinagiire — out of stock), 絶版 implies a definitive end to production. Out-of-print titles must be sought in secondhand bookshops or accessed through digital archives. The term can carry a tone of cultural loss when a significant work becomes permanently unavailable.

例文

1. その翻訳書はすでに絶版になっており、古書店でしか入手できない。
2. 絶版になった名作が電子書籍として復刊されるケースが増えている。
3. 大学の授業で指定されたテキストが絶版で困った。

使い方ガイド

場面: publishing, bookselling, libraries

トーン: informational

起源と歴史

From 絶 (zetsu — to cut off, to end) and 版 (han/pan — printing block, edition). The compound literally means 'the printing has been cut off,' reflecting the original sense of 版 as a woodblock used for printing books.

文化的背景

時代: Modern

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal