lexicography
Americannoun
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the writing, editing, or compiling of dictionaries.
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the principles and procedures involved in writing, editing, or compiling dictionaries.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of lexicography
Explanation
Lexicography is all about words: It's the study of a language's vocabulary and the art and science of writing and editing dictionaries. Through lexicography, this dictionary is here for you to learn about words. A person who works in the field of lexicography, a lexicographer, selects the words and phrases to include in a dictionary; researches the words, their pronunciations, etcetera; drafts the definitions; and organizes them so that users can access the meanings. Here are some things a lexicographer may tell you about the word lexicography, besides its meaning: It's built from the Greek combining elements lexiko-, meaning "of or for words," and -graphy, meaning "something written."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
One of the main goals of historical lexicography is finding antedatings, as instances that push back the earliest known use of a term are called.
From New York Times ● Jan. 26, 2021
Merriam could have written a blog post about the trending words and saved the actual lexicography for later.
From Slate ● Mar. 26, 2020
To renounce a practice confessedly regular for one confessedly anomalous, out of respect to foreign usage, would hardly be consistent with the dignity of lexicography.
From Noah Webster American Men of Letters by Horace E. Scudder
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
