What does lexicology mean?
Lexicology is the study of words: how they are formed, pronounced, used, and changed through time. In its principal academic sense, it is a branch of language study concerned with vocabulary and the history of words and meanings. Scholars working in historical lexicology may investigate how a term developed from earlier usage, while comparative lexicology examines the vocabulary and word formation of different languages. Lexicology also has a more specific descriptive use: the vocabulary associated with an author, period, place, community, or specialized field. For example, a literary critic might describe the archaic and technical lexicology of an old medical text. The term is most often found in academic writing, but its broader descriptive sense can appear in literary and cultural criticism. Although lexicography—the activity of compiling dictionaries—is closely related, lexicology encompasses the wider scholarly study of words, including linguistic, historical, and comparative research.
nounThe study of words, including their meanings, forms, pronunciation, and historical development. It may also refer to the vocabulary or language associated with a particular author, period, community, or field.
- The branch of language study concerned with words and their meanings, forms, pronunciation, and historical development.
- The vocabulary or language characteristic of a particular author, historical period, community, or subject.
"Her work in historical lexicology traces changes in the meanings of political vocabulary."
"Historical lexicology examines how word meanings change over time."
"The novel's distinctive lexicology immediately places it in a particular social milieu."
The plural is uncommon because the word is normally used as an uncountable name for a field of study.
"The different lexicologies of these two societies reveal contrasting attitudes toward nature."
Lexicology asks where words came from; lexicography asks how dictionaries put them on the page.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does lexicology come from?
Lexicology was formed in the early 19th century from the Greek adjective lexikos, meaning “of words,” combined with the suffix -logia, meaning “study of.” Its vocabulary was strongly influenced by the older term lexicon, which comes from Greek lexikon, a “dictionary of words.” The same roots also produced lexicography, lexicographer, and lexical, all of which belong to the study or description of words.
Related word forms
How lexicology is actually used
In its first sense, lexicology is primarily an academic discipline and is normally used uncountably. In its second sense, it is often used attributively, as in “the lexicology of Shakespeare” or “19th-century medical lexicology.” It should not be confused with lexicography, which focuses specifically on dictionary-making.
Easily confused with lexicology
Lexicology is the scholarly study of words, while lexicography is the practice of compiling and writing dictionaries.