lexicon
pronunciation
How to pronounce lexicon in British English:
UK [ˈleksɪkən]
How to pronounce lexicon in American English:
US [ˈlɛksɪˌkɑn]
-
- Noun:
- a language user's knowledge of words
- a reference book containing an alphabetical list of words with information about them
Word Origin
- lexicon (n.)
- c. 1600, "a dictionary," from Middle French lexicon or directly from Modern Latin lexicon, from Greek lexikon (biblion) "word (book)," from neuter of lexikos "pertaining to words," from lexis "word," from legein "say" (see lecture (n.)). Used originally of dictionaries of Greek, Syriac, Hebrew and Arabic, because these typically were in Latin and in Modern Latin lexicon, not dictionarius, was the preferred word. The modern sense of "vocabulary proper to some sphere of activity" (1640s) is a figurative extension.
Example
- 1. Greatness is part of america 's birthright and lexicon .
- 2. Clearly my lexicon is meant partly in jest but not entirely .
- 3. Reading the forward to the lexicon you can alsosee that he had a sense of humor .
- 4. In 1872 two men began work on a lexicon of words of asian origin used by the british in india .
- 5. So much so that " ipod integration " became a focus for almost every automaker and an important part of the car lexicon .