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Definition of lexical
1 : of or relating to words or the vocabulary of a language as distinguished from its grammar and construction Our language has many lexical borrowings from other languages.
2 : of or relating to a lexicon or to lexicography lexical methods aim to list all the relevant forms — A. F. Parker-Rhodes
From the M-W Editors
lexical was our Word of the Day on 02/28/2016. Hear the podcast!
Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP
Examples of lexical in a Sentence
a dictionary provides lexical information—it tells you what the word “cat” means, not all there is to know about cats
Recent Examples of lexical from the Web
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Most of the videos are appended with searchable transcripts—a fun tool for those interested in lexical tics.
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WASHINGTON — What happens when 334 linguists, lexicographers, grammarians and etymologists gather in a stuffy lecture hall on a Friday night to debate the lexical trends of the year?
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What happens when 334 linguists, lexicographers, grammarians and etymologists gather in a stuffy lecture hall on a Friday night to debate the lexical trends of the year?
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Or emoji might be a lexical fad, here for now but gone as soon as this wave of digital natives hands control of the global village over to the next generation.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lexical'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Wordy History of lexical
The word lexicon can be used as a synonym of dictionary, and the word lexicography refers to the practice of dictionary making. Both of these words, as well as lexical, derive from the Greek word lexis, meaning "word" or "speech." A fourth descendant of lexis is lexiphanic, an archaic adjective describing one who uses pretentious words for effect. Lexis should not be confused with the Latin lex, or "law," which is used in legal phrases such as lex non scripta, meaning "unwritten law."
Origin and Etymology of lexical
see lexicon
Other Language Terms
LEXICAL Defined for English Language Learners
lexical
playDefinition of lexical for English Language Learners
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linguistics : relating to words or vocabulary
Learn More about lexical
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for lexical Spanish Central: Translation of lexical Nglish: Translation of lexical for Spanish speakers
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