Vade mecum - enchiridion

A vade mecum - a Latin phrase pronounced va-di MAY-kum, IPA: /ˌvɑː dɪ ˈmeɪkʊm/ - is a small book or similar aid which individuals can take with them wherever they go and consult whenever the need arises - for example, the guidebooks which accompany tourists on their travels, referred to for information about the various places visited. The Latin phrase vade mecum is an imperative and means 'go with me'.

A vade mecum might also be called an enchiridion - pronounced en-kai-RI-di-ern, IPA: /,ɛnkaɪ'rɪdɪən/ - though the word enchiridion is now rarely used as a common noun. The Encheiridion - note the definite article, the initial capital, and the different spelling of the second syllable - will almost always be a reference to the Encheiridion of the Stoic philosopher Epictetus (?50-?120 CE). This was a brief account of Stoic ethics, written to help its readers to live in accordance with Stoic principles, and sufficiently brief for them to keep it always on their persons to consult when necessary. The Greek word ἐνχειρίδιον (encheiridion), from which enchiridion is derived, is a compound of the words ἐν (en, in) and χείρ (cheir, hand): it literally means 'a little something to be held in the hand' and was applied to little daggers as well as little books.