Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

lexicon

/ˈlɛk.sɪ.kɑn/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.10 in modern English

Syllables
lex-i-con
IPA
/ˈlɛk.sɪ.kɑn/
16
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The vocabulary of a language.

noun

A dictionary that includes or focuses on lexemes.

noun

A dictionary of Classical Greek, Hebrew, Latin, or Aramaic.

noun

Any dictionary.

noun

The vocabulary used by or known to an individual. (Also called lexical knowledge.)

Example Sentences

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'.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *leǵ-, -, lexicon, λεξικόν

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈlɛk.sɪ.kɑn/
  • British English: /ˈlɛk.sɪ.kən/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce lexicon?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈlɛk.sɪ.kɑn/.
What does lexicon mean?
The vocabulary of a language.
Where does lexicon come from?
It is traced to Middle French.

How to pronounce lexicon

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “lexicon”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈlɛk.sɪ.kɑn/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “lexicon”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “lexicon” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.