lexicon

[lek-si-kon, -kuh n] /ˈlɛk sɪˌkɒn, -kən/
noun, plural lexica
[lek-si-kuh] /ˈlɛk sɪ kə/ (Show IPA), lexicons.
1.
a wordbook or dictionary, especially of Greek, Latin, or Hebrew.
2.
the vocabulary of a particular language, field, social class, person, etc.
3.
inventory or record:
unparalleled in the lexicon of human relations.
4.
Linguistics.
  1. the total inventory of morphemes in a given language.
  2. the inventory of base morphemes plus their combinations with derivational morphemes.
Origin
1595-1605; < Medieval Latin < Medieval Greek, Greek lexikón, noun use of neuter of lexikós of words, equivalent to léx(is) speech, word (see lexis) + -ikos -ic
Synonyms
1. glossary, thesaurus, gloss, concordance.
Examples from the web for lexicon
  • There is a word in there that you might want to add to your lexicon.
  • Small wonder that the word karaoke began to seem as much a part of the global lexicon as--well, car and okay.
  • Thirty-five years ago, those fish names didn't exist in our cultural lexicon.
  • The company's speech-recognition model has acoustic, lexicon and language components.
  • However, the lexicon of empirical experiments should include proper taxonomy.
  • In my opinion, this type of separatist verbiage should be expunged from the modern scientific lexicon.
  • It's clear that something in our lexicon isn't working.
  • Soon after my tutor died, and for several years my lexicon was my only companion.
  • Nonetheless, the lexicon has not kept up with technology.
  • We need an account of how a lexicon got off the ground, and cross-modal abstraction is the answer.
British Dictionary definitions for lexicon

lexicon

/ˈlɛksɪkən/
noun
1.
a dictionary, esp one of an ancient language such as Greek or Hebrew
2.
a list of terms relating to a particular subject
3.
the vocabulary of a language or of an individual
4.
(linguistics) the set of all the morphemes of a language
Word Origin
C17: New Latin, from Greek lexikon, n use of lexikos relating to words, from Greek lexis word, from legein to speak
Contemporary definitions for lexicon
noun

a word book describing language with definitions; dictionary

Word Origin

Greek lexis 'word, phrase'

noun

the vocabulary of a person, group, subject, or language; also, the total morphemes of a language

Word Origin

Greek lexis 'word, phrase'

noun

repertoire; compendium

Word Origin

Greek lexis 'word, phrase'

Word Origin and History for 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.