lexicographer

noun

lex·i·cog·ra·pher ˌlek-sə-ˈkä-grə-fər

Synonyms of lexicographer next

: an author or editor of a dictionary

Did you know?

The ancient Greeks were some of the earliest makers of dictionaries; they used them mainly to catalog obsolete terms from their rich literary past. To create a word for writers of dictionaries, the Greeks sensibly attached the suffix -graphos, meaning "writer," to lexikon, meaning "dictionary," to form lexikographos, the direct ancestor of the English word lexicographer. Lexikon, which itself descends from Greek lexis (meaning "word" or "speech"), also gave us lexicon, which can mean either "dictionary" or "the vocabulary of a language, speaker, or subject."

Examples of lexicographer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Written by a career lexicographer with an infectious love of the English language, this ode to the dictionary is full of fun facts for linguistics lovers, as well as intimate stories that nerds of all stripes can enjoy. —

The Week Us, theweek, 16 Apr. 2024 Mary’s flowers and their legends Using research from botanists, folklorists and lexicographers, Stokes and McTague created lists of hundreds of flowers and plants with their medieval, religious names. —

Bridget Retzloff, The Conversation, 20 May 2024 The origins of the ending-preposition prohibition Among grammarians and lexicographers, Merriam-Webster's comments are widely accepted. —

Emma Bowman, NPR, 27 Feb. 2024 Today, Americanisms are easy for modern lexicographers to find because of the internet and access to large data sets. —

Sarah Ogilvie, WSJ, 11 Nov. 2023 See all Example Sentences for lexicographer

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lexicographer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Late Greek lexikographos, from lexikon + Greek -graphos writer, from graphein to write

First Known Use

1625, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of lexicographer was in 1625

See more words from the same year

Articles Related to lexicographer

man flying like a superhero through a library

Words for Dictionary Supernerds

As with all specialized fields, those involved in dictionary making employ terms in their work that most other people never encounter. If you’re a dictionary supernerd, you might be interested to know them.