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lexical

[lek-si-kuh l]
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adjective
  1. of or relating to the words or vocabulary of a language, especially as distinguished from its grammatical and syntactical aspects.
  2. of, relating to, or of the nature of a lexicon.
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Origin of lexical

First recorded in 1830–40; lexic(on) + -al1
Related formslex·i·cal·i·ty, nounlex·i·cal·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for lexical

rhetorical, unwritten, grammatical, lingual, exact, literal, oral, said, stated, verbatim, expressed, lexical, phrasal, told, dialectal, phonetic, etymological, morphological, phonemic, phonological

Examples from the Web for lexical

Historical Examples of lexical

  • It is therefore important to observe that Reitzenstein's lexical parallel utterly breaks down.

    The Origin of Paul's Religion

    J. Gresham Machen

  • Thus the lexical argument of Reitzenstein breaks down at the decisive points.

  • The grammatical and lexical treatises of Hayyuj and Ibn Janah were also translated.

  • Two lexical works have been used as basic references in this translation.

  • All of these things are held to belong to the grammar of a language and to be grammatic methods, distinct from lexical elements.

British Dictionary definitions for lexical

lexical

adjective
  1. of or relating to items of vocabulary in a language
  2. of or relating to a lexicon
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Derived Formslexicality (ˌlɛksɪˈkælɪtɪ), nounlexically, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for lexical

adj.

1833, from Greek lexikos "pertaining to words" (see lexicon) + -al (1). Related: Lexically.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper