lexicon

American  

[lek-si-kon, -kuhn] / ˈlɛk sɪˌkɒn, -kən /

noun

plural

lexica, lexicons

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

In total, Lexicon is eligible to receive up to $1 billion in upfront and potential development, regulatory and sales milestone payments.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

He began on the Financial Times, where he wrote the Lexicon column before moving to the Sunday Telegraph where he became City editor.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2023

Maker moderated a panel discussion in late January at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, an annual trade fair in Sacramento, titled “A New Lexicon for Wine.”

From Washington Post • Mar. 2, 2023

I'm happy you're celebrating "The Lexicon of Love" turning 40.

From Salon • Jul. 9, 2022

And, 3 Letter from Cui dated 9 March 1863, quoted in Nicolas Slonimsky, Lexicon of Musical Invective, 2nd ed.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall