lexicography

American  

[lek-si-kog-ruh-fee] / ˌlɛk sɪˈkɒg rə fi /

noun

1. the writing, editing, or compiling of dictionaries.

2. the principles and procedures involved in writing, editing, or compiling dictionaries.

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lexicography British  

/ ˌlɛksɪˈkɒɡrəfɪ, ˌlɛksɪkəˈɡræfɪk /

noun

1. the process or profession of writing or compiling dictionaries

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Other Word Forms

• lexicographer noun
• lexicographic adjective
• lexicographical adjective
• lexicographically adverb
• unlexicographical adjective

Etymology

Origin of lexicography

First recorded in 1670–80; lexic(on) + -o- + -graphy

Example Sentences

Today the dictionary disputes seem to have largely fizzled out, the pitched battles over lexicography having succumbed to a weary war of consumerist attrition.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

Psychologist Tim Lomas created an interactive lexicography of emotion words in languages from Akkadian to Zulu, positing that expanded sentimental vocabularies enrich our inner lives.

From Washington Post • Nov. 29, 2021

Merriam could have written a blog post about the trending words and saved the actual lexicography for later.

From Slate • Mar. 26, 2020

His breakthrough book about the making of the Oxford English Dictionary, “The Professor and the Madman,” suggested he came from the world of lexicography.

From Seattle Times • May 20, 2018

The ease with which Webster walked about the Jericho of English lexicography, blowing his trumpet of destruction, was an American ease, born of a sense that America was a continent and not a province.

From Noah Webster American Men of Letters by Scudder, Horace E.