lexicon

See also: léxicon

English

WOTD – 12 December 2006

Etymology

Through Middle French or directly from New Latin lexicon, from Byzantine Greek λεξικόν (lexikón, “a lexicon, a dictionary”), ellipsis from Ancient Greek λεξικὸν βιβλίον (lexikòn biblíon, literally “a book of words”), from λεξικός (lexikós, “of words”), from λέξις (léxis, “a saying, speech, word”), from λέγω (légō, “to speak”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- (“to gather, collect”).

Attested at least since 1583 (in William Fulke's A Defense of the Sincere and True Translations of the Holy Scriptures into the English tongue) in the sense 'a dictionary of a classical language'.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈlɛk.sɪ.kən/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈlɛk.sɪ.kɒn/
• (US) enPR: lĕk'sĭkŏn, IPA^(key): /ˈlɛk.sɪ.kɑn/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

lexicon (plural lexica or lexicons)

1. The vocabulary of a language.

   Synonyms: word-hoard, word-stock

   Coordinate term: lexis

2. (lexicography, linguistics) A dictionary that includes or focuses on lexemes.

   Synonym: wordbook

3. A dictionary of Classical Greek, Hebrew, Latin, or Aramaic.
4. (programming) The lexicology of a programming language. (Usually called lexical structure.)
5. (rare) Any dictionary.
6. The vocabulary used by or known to an individual. (Also called lexical knowledge.)

   Coordinate term: idiolect

7. A set of vocabulary specific to a certain subject.

   the baseball lexicon

   1. A list thereof.

      Synonym: glossary

      a baseball lexicon

Derived terms

• mini-lexicon
• generative lexicon

Related terms

• lexical
• lexicography
• lexicology
• lexiconophilia
• lexiconophilist

 

Translations

vocabulary of a language

• Albanian: leksik (sq) m
• Armenian: բառապաշար (hy) (baṙapašar)
• Bulgarian: речник (bg) (rečnik)
• Catalan: lèxic (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 詞庫／词库 (zh) (cíkù), 詞匯／词汇 (zh) (cíhuì)

• Czech: lexikum n, slovní zásoba (cs) f
• Danish: leksikon (da) n
• Finnish: sanasto (fi), leksikko (fi)
• French: lexique (fr) f, vocabulaire (fr) m
• Galician: léxico (gl) m
• Georgian: ლექსიკონი (ka) (leksiḳoni)
• German: Lexikon (de) n, Wortschatz (de) m
• Greek:

  Ancient: λεξικόν n (lexikón)

• Hungarian: szókincs (hu), szókészlet (hu)
• Japanese: 語彙 (ja) (ごい, goi)
• Maori: huinga kupu
• Polish: słownik (pl) m
• Portuguese: léxico (pt) m
• Russian: слова́рь (ru) m (slovárʹ), лексико́н (ru) m (leksikón), ле́ксика (ru) f (léksika)
• Spanish: léxico (es) m
• Vietnamese: từ điển (vi)

dictionary of lexemes

• Catalan: lèxic (ca) m
• Danish: leksikon (da) n
• Finnish: sanakirja (fi)
• French: lexique (fr) m
• Greek: λημματολόγιο (el) n (limmatológio)

  Ancient: λεξικόν n (lexikón)

• Hungarian: szójegyzék (hu), szógyűjtemény (hu), szószedet (hu)
• Icelandic: orðabók (is) f, orðasafn (is) n, lesforði m, lessafn n
• Italian: lessico (it) m
• Lithuanian: leksikonas m
• Maori: papakupu (mi)
• Polish: leksykon (pl) m
• Portuguese: léxico (pt) m
• Romanian: lexicon (ro) n
• Russian: слова́рь лексе́м m (slovárʹ leksém)

dictionary of Classical Greek, Hebrew, Latin, or Aramaic

• Greek: λεξικό (el) n (lexikó)
• Hungarian: szótár (hu)
• Icelandic: orðabók (is) f, orðasafn (is) n
• Italian: lessico (it) m
• Polish: słownik (pl) m
• Portuguese: léxicon (pt) m
• Russian: лексико́н (ru) m (leksikón)
• Swedish: lexikon (sv) n

lexicology of a programming language

• Catalan: lèxic (ca) m
• Finnish: sanasto (fi)
• Greek: λεξιλόγιο (el) n (lexilógio)
• Icelandic: orðasafn (is) n
• Italian: lessico (it) m
• Portuguese: léxico (pt) m

(rare) any dictionary

• Finnish: sanakirja (fi)
• German: Lexikon (de) n
• Greek: λεξικό (el) n (lexikó)
• Hungarian: szótár (hu)
• Icelandic: orðabók (is) f, orðasafn (is) n
• Irish: foclóir (ga) m
• Italian: lessico (it) m
• Lithuanian: žodynas (lt) m, leksikonas m
• Polish: słownik (pl) m
• Portuguese: léxico (pt) m
• Russian: лексико́н (ru) m (leksikón), слова́рь (ru) m (slovárʹ)
• Spanish: léxico (es) m

vocabulary used by an individual

• Bulgarian: речников запас m (rečnikov zapas)
• Finnish: sanavarasto (fi)
• French: lexique (fr) m
• German: Wortschatz (de) m
• Greek: λεξιλόγιο (el) n (lexilógio)
• Hungarian: szókincs (hu), szókészlet (hu)
• Icelandic: orðabók (is) f, orðasafn (is) n, lesforði m, lessafn n
• Italian: lessico (it) m, vocabolario (it) m
• Polish: leksykon (pl) m, słownictwo (pl) n
• Portuguese: vocabulário (pt) m
• Russian: лексико́н (ru) m (leksikón), запа́с слов m (zapás slov), лекси́ческий запа́с m (leksíčeskij zapás), ле́ксика (ru) f (léksika)

subject-specific vocabulary

• Bulgarian: специален речник (specialen rečnik)
• Finnish: sanasto (fi)
• French: champ lexical (fr) m
• Hungarian: szószedet (hu), szókészlet (hu), szakszótár (hu)
• Polish: leksyk (pl) m, słownictwo (pl) m
• Portuguese: vocabulário (pt) m

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} leksikono
• German: ^{(please verify)} Lexikon (de) n
• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} lexico
• Turkish: ^{(please verify)} sözlük (tr), ^{(please verify)} lügat (tr)
• Welsh: ^{(please verify)} geiriadur (cy) m

Further reading

• “lexicon”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “lexicon”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• lexonic

Dutch

Etymology

From New Latin lexicon, from Ancient Greek λεξικόν (lexikón, “a lexicon”), neuter of λεξικός (lexikós, “of words”).

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: lexi‧con

Noun

lexicon n (plural lexicons or lexica, diminutive lexiconnetje n)

1. (clarification of this definition is needed) lexicon

Further reading

• lexicon on the Dutch Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^nl

Latin

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Byzantine Greek λεξικόν (lexikón, “a lexicon”), which is an ellipsis from Ancient Greek λεξικὸν βιβλίον (lexikòn biblíon, literally “a book of words”), from λεξικός (lexikós, “of words”), from λέξις (léxis, “a saying, speech, word”), from λέγω (légō, “to speak”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- (“to gather, collect”).

Attested at least since Girolamo Aleandro's Lexicon graeco-latinum, multis et praeclaris additionibus locupletatum (1512).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈlek.si.kon/, [ˈɫ̪ɛks̠ɪkɔn]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈlek.si.kon/, [ˈlɛksikon]

Noun

lexicon n (genitive lexicī); second declension

1. (New Latin) a dictionary, a lexicon

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter, Greek-type).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	lexicon	lexica
Genitive	lexicī	lexicōrum
Dative	lexicō	lexicīs
Accusative	lexicon	lexica
Ablative	lexicō	lexicīs
Vocative	lexicon	lexica

Descendants

• → Dutch: lexicon m
• → German: Lexikon, Lexicon
  • → Czech: lexikon
  • → Hungarian: lexikon (“encyclopedia”)
  • → Swedish: lexikon
• → Middle French: lexicon m
  • French: lexique m
  • → English: lexicon (possibly; or directly from Latin)

References

• “lexicon”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• lexicon in Ramminger, Johann (2016 July 16 (last accessed)) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎^[1], pre-publication website, 2005-2016

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin lexicon or French lexicon.

Noun

lexicon n (plural lexicoane)

1. lexicon

Declension

Declension of lexicon

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) lexicon	lexiconul	(niște) lexicoane	lexicoanele
genitive/dative	(unui) lexicon	lexiconului	(unor) lexicoane	lexicoanelor
vocative	lexiconule		lexicoanelor