lexicon
a wordbook or dictionary, especially of Greek, Latin, or Hebrew.
the vocabulary of a particular language, field, social class, person, etc.
inventory or record: unparalleled in the lexicon of human relations.
Linguistics.
the total inventory of morphemes in a given language.
the inventory of base morphemes plus their combinations with derivational morphemes.
Origin of lexicon
1word story For lexicon
English lexicon was first used in the sense “dictionary, wordbook,” and usually referred to dictionaries of Greek and the culturally important Semitic languages (Hebrew, Syriac, Aramaic, Arabic). Dictionaries of these particular languages were traditionally written in Latin, and since Latin had no native word for dictionary, lexicon was the word generally used.
Our English word dictionary comes from Medieval Latin dictiōnārium, the neuter form of dictiōnārius ( liber ) “word (book)”—that is, “a phrase book, a beginner’s textbook (of Latin).”
Other words for lexicon
Words Nearby lexicon
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use lexicon in a sentence
Just a machine, promising help “momentarily,” the biggest lie in the lexicon of all voice mail.
Gene Weingarten: Maybe the past is only a phone call away | Gene Weingarten | November 5, 2020 | Washington PostThe game’s lexicon was built first with the New General Service List to serve as its foundation.
Former Apple engineer and autocorrect creator builds his first app, a word game called Up Spell | Sarah Perez | October 7, 2020 | TechCrunchThe fast-paced, fun word game challenges users to spell all the words you can in two minutes and uses a lexicon of words Kocienda built to allow for the inclusion of proper names.
Former Apple engineer and autocorrect creator builds his first app, a word game called Up Spell | Sarah Perez | October 7, 2020 | TechCrunchRoot out the biased language we so often use when discussing women and people of color, not by unilaterally relying on anti-bias training, but by fixing the underlying systems that enable this bias to creep into the talent assessment lexicon.
In academic speak, observing and learning from other people is called “social influence,” a term that’s obviously crossed into pop culture lexicon.
This Is How Your Brain Responds to Social Influence | Shelly Fan | August 25, 2020 | Singularity Hub
Alongside YOLO, “same damn time” is one of the most memorable recent additions to the lexicon.
Future Makes Us Rethink Everything We Thought We Knew About Rap Artists | Luke Hopping | December 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTA hypothetical history of how words become part of the colloquial lexicon.
The 5,000 new words added to the updated playable lexicon included four fresh two-letter words.
Well, La Ti Da: Stephin Merritt’s Winning Little Words of Scrabble | David Bukszpan | October 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut it was the rise of the Internet that really brought the word into the general lexicon.
Death of ‘Gamer’ Identity: How Hardcore Trolls Pwned Themselves | Alec Kubas-Meyer | September 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTTwenty years after the phrase entered the American lexicon, “Soccer Mom” retains its power as hurtful speech.
Modern science stringently demands facts in support of any assertion, the word "faith" having no place in its lexicon.
Man And His Ancestor | Charles Morris“Easy does it” is a phrase plucked from the plebeian lexicon of life, which we recommend for his consideration.
Our Churches and Chapels | AtticusMeusel: lexicon der vom Jahr 1750 bis 1800 verstorbenen teutschen Schriftsteller.
Laurence Sterne in Germany | Harvey Waterman ThayerThis, though in some respects, an independent work, may yet be considered as a supplement to the celebrated Conversations-lexicon.
The text occupies five volumes, and a sixth contains a Hebrew lexicon, &c.
British Dictionary definitions for lexicon
/ (ˈlɛksɪkən) /
a dictionary, esp one of an ancient language such as Greek or Hebrew
a list of terms relating to a particular subject
the vocabulary of a language or of an individual
linguistics the set of all the morphemes of a language
Origin of lexicon
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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