bookmaker
"Bookmaker" is a fascinating word with two quite distinct meanings. One is a profession in the world of gambling, and the other — less common today — refers to someone who physically makes books. Here are both senses explained clearly.
A bookmaker is a person or company whose job is to take bets from people on the outcomes of events — usually sports like horse racing, football, or boxing. They set the odds (the numbers that decide how much you win), collect your money when you bet, and pay you out if you win. Think of them as the 'bank' in a betting game. In everyday speech, people often shorten this to 'bookie'.
gambling / sports betting · Modern, widely used
In its older, more literal sense, a bookmaker is someone who is involved in the physical production of books — designing, printing, and binding the pages together. This sense is rare in everyday conversation today, but you might still encounter it in historical or publishing contexts.
publishing / history · Formal, more common in older texts