lexicon

Language: en

🇺🇸 /ˈlɛksɪˌkɑn/

📖 Definitions

  1. noun
    A dictionary, especially of Greek, Hebrew, Syriac, or Arabic, or of a particular subject or field.; The vocabulary of a person, language, or branch of knowledge; the total stock of words and word elements that carry meaning.; In linguistics, the complete set of meaningful units (morphemes, words, idioms) in a language, or the component of a grammar that contains information about the form and meaning of words.; A list or collection of terms, expressions, or jargon associated with a particular group, profession, or activity.

🔗 Details

Word forms

countable Plural: lexicons, lexica

Collocations

mental lexiconlexicon of a languagepersonal lexiconrich lexiconlimited lexicon

Derivatives

lexicallexicallylexicographylexicographerlexicographiclexicographical

Synonyms

vocabularydictionarywordbookthesaurusglossary

Commonly confused

lexis
EN: 'Lexis' refers to the total stock of words in a language as a whole, while 'lexicon' typically refers to the vocabulary of a specific person, subject, or a physical dictionary.
lexicography
EN: 'Lexicography' is the practice or art of compiling dictionaries, while 'lexicon' is the dictionary or vocabulary itself.

Spelling tips

EN: The plural can be either 'lexicons' (regular English) or 'lexica' (Latin plural); both are acceptable, though 'lexicons' is more common in modern usage.

💬 Examples

  1. She consulted a Greek lexicon to translate the ancient text.

  2. The word 'blog' has become part of the common lexicon of internet users.

  3. The mental lexicon stores all the words a speaker knows along with their phonological and semantic properties.

  4. The lexicon of medical professionals includes many Latin-derived terms unfamiliar to laypeople.