lexicon

[ lek-si-kon, -kuhn ]

noun

, plural lex·i·ca [lek, -si-k, uh], lex·i·cons.

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.

lexicon

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of lexicon¹

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”; lexis -ic; Bible ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of lexicon¹

C17: New Latin, from Greek lexikon , n use of lexikos relating to words, from Greek lexis word, from legein to speak

Example Sentences

While “microdosing Ozempic” joins the lexicon on gentler-sounding beauty terms like “baby Botox” and “mini face lift” that make procedures seem more approachable, the reality is that some people do see benefits from lower doses.

From Los Angeles Times

From Dinesh D’Souza to Nikki Haley to Vivek Ramaswamy to your loser cousin who’s convinced he got into Georgetown because he’s smarter than everyone and not because of affirmative action, there are endless examples in our public lexicon.

From Slate

It is a dead language — a lexicon of violence — spoken by politicians who thrive on fear, hatred, and bigotry, cloaked in the false promises of patriotism and security.

From Salon

The term “October surprise” has been a fixture in American political lexicon for nearly 50 years.

From BBC

Americans would remember it as the “Great Depression” until the 1930s economic reversal supplanted it in the economic lexicon.

From Los Angeles Times