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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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

If you’re chronically online like me, you’ve probably come across a slang-suffix that’s become part of the lexicon despite not being formally added to a dictionary — yet.

From Salon • May 7, 2026

May 8 Ms. Pat reminds me of one of my hilarious aunts, who would get a kick out of the fact that her nickname has entered the lexicon as a catch-all description: “Auntie.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026

And with this description of parts of the Home Office in 2006, the then-Home Secretary John Reid minted a phrase that has lodged in the lexicon of British politics.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

After “The Godfather” made him a movie star in his 40s, he remained a beloved character actor for half a century, adding “I love the smell of napalm in the morning” to the cultural lexicon.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

Rishi was fairly sure he lacked the lexicon to put into words what was happening in his brain—and his body—right then.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon