Lexikon

See also: lexikon

German

Alternative forms

• Lexicon (archaic)

Etymology

Ultimately from Ancient Greek λεξικόν (lexikón, “dictionary”), from λεξικός (lexikós)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɛksikɔn/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

Lexikon n (strong, genitive Lexikons, plural Lexika or Lexiken or (nonstandard, rather rare) Lexikons or Lexikas)

1. reference book; a book, usually alphabetically ordered, in which definitions and facts can be looked up, such as an encyclopaedia, dictionary, etc.

   Synonyms: Nachschlagewerk, schlaues Buch (informal)

2. a lexicon, in other words the vocabulary of a language, field, or individual person.

Usage notes

• The plural forms Lexikons and Lexikas are sometimes found, but are nonstandard and rather rare.
• The use of this word for a dictionary specifically, as in ein französisch-deutsches Lexikon (“a French-German dictionary”), is considered dated by some authorities including Duden. However, the inclusion of dictionaries in the broader term Lexikon can hardly be considered dated.

Declension

Declension of Lexikon [neuter, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	das	Lexikon	die	Lexika, Lexiken, Lexikons1, Lexikas1
genitive	eines	des	Lexikons	der	Lexika, Lexiken, Lexikons1, Lexikas1
dative	einem	dem	Lexikon	den	Lexika, Lexiken, Lexikons1, Lexikas1
accusative	ein	das	Lexikon	die	Lexika, Lexiken, Lexikons1, Lexikas1

¹Nonstandard, rather rare.

Hyponyms

• Reallexikon
• Sachlexikon
• Sprachlexikon

• Enzyklopädie
• Wörterbuch

Further reading

• “Lexikon” in Duden online
• “Lexikon” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache