lexicon

American  

[lek-si-kon, -kuhn] / ˈlɛk sɪˌkɒn, -kən /

noun

lexica, plural lexicons plural

1. a wordbook or dictionary, especially of Greek, Latin, or Hebrew.

   Synonyms:

   concordance, gloss, thesaurus, glossary

2. the vocabulary of a particular language, field, social class, person, etc.

3. inventory or record.

   unparalleled in the lexicon of human relations.

4. Linguistics.

   1. the total inventory of morphemes in a given language.

   2. the inventory of base morphemes plus their combinations with derivational morphemes.

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lexicon British  

/ ˈlɛksɪkən /

noun

1. a dictionary, esp one of an ancient language such as Greek or Hebrew

2. a list of terms relating to a particular subject

3. the vocabulary of a language or of an individual

4. linguistics the set of all the morphemes of a language

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• lexicons
  plural
• lexica
  plural

Etymology

Origin of lexicon

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Modern Latin, from Medieval Greek, Greek lexikòn (biblíon) “word (book),” from lexikón neuter of adjective lexikós “of or pertaining to words” + biblíon “book”; see lexis -ic; see also Bible ( def. )

Explanation

A lexicon is the vocabulary of a language or subject. "No-hitter," "go-ahead run," and "Baltimore chop" are part of the baseball lexicon. Lexicons are really dictionaries, though a lexicon usually covers an ancient language or the special vocabulary of a particular author or field of study. In linguistics, the lexicon is the total stock of words and word elements that carry meaning. Lexicon is from Greek lexikon (biblion) meaning "word(book)," ultimately going back to legein, "to speak."

Example Sentences

Lexicon has earned a second $10 million milestone payment in 2026 from Novo Nordisk following initial dosing requirements in the study.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

He began on the Financial Times, where he wrote the Lexicon column before moving to the Sunday Telegraph where he became City editor.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2023

Maker moderated a panel discussion in late January at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, an annual trade fair in Sacramento, titled “A New Lexicon for Wine.”

From Washington Post • Mar. 2, 2023

Kardashian told Vogue that channeling Monroe's style felt appropriate for the event's "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion" theme.

From Salon • May 17, 2022

And, 3 Letter from Cui dated 9 March 1863, quoted in Nicolas Slonimsky, Lexicon of Musical Invective, 2nd ed.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall