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lexicon
[ lek-si-kon, -kuhn ]
/ ˈlɛk sɪˌkɒn, -kən /
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noun, plural lex·i·ca [lek-si-kuh], /ˈlɛk sɪ kə/, lex·i·cons.
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.
OTHER WORDS FOR lexicon
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Origin of lexicon
historical usage of lexicon
The noun lexicon comes from New Latin, from Greek lexikòn ( biblíon ) “word (book).” Lexikón is first used for the dictionary of Photius, the 9th-century Byzantine scholar, lexicographer, and patriarch of Constantinople (Photius could very well have coined the Greek word).
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).”
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).”
Words nearby lexicon
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use lexicon in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for lexicon
lexicon
/ (ˈlɛksɪkən) /
noun
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
Word Origin for lexicon
C17: New Latin, from Greek lexikon, n use of lexikos relating to words, from Greek lexis word, from legein to speak
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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