dictionaries and similar reference books
Refers to dictionaries as a category, often including thesauruses, encyclopedias, and other reference works. Used when talking about the collection or type of book rather than a single dictionary.
The library's collection of dictionaries and reference books is very extensive.
When moving, I packed all the dictionaries and similar books together into a box.
Compound of 辞書 (dictionary) and 類 (kind, category). The exact historical derivation is straightforward; the word is a modern compound.