lexikons

Lexikons, in English typically rendered as lexicons, are collections that catalog the words of a language or a specific domain, along with information about their meanings and uses. The term derives from Greek lexis, meaning word. In linguistics, a lexicon may refer to the internal mental repository of a speaker’s vocabulary or to a published reference work that documents words and their properties. The plural form varies by language; English uses lexicons, while German often uses Lexika or Lexikons.

Contents and structure commonly found in a lexicon include the lemma (the headword), part of speech, senses or definitions, pronunciation, etymology, and usage examples. Many modern lexicons also incorporate morphological information, collocations, semantic relations (such as synonyms and antonyms), and cross-references to related entries. Some lexicons emphasize frequency data, regional variants, or specialized terminology for particular fields.

Types and scope vary widely. General-language lexicons aim to cover wide vocabularies for everyday use, while specialized lexica focus on domains such as medicine, law, technology, or the arts. Bilingual or multilingual glossaries provide translations and cross-language equivalents. The distinction between a lexicon and a dictionary is sometimes subtle; dictionaries traditionally foreground definitions, whereas lexicons may emphasize vocabulary inventory and usage patterns, though many resources combine elements of both.

History and usage have evolved from ancient glossaries and word lists to comprehensive dictionaries and digital databases. The German word Lexikon is commonly used for reference works that may resemble encyclopedias as well as dictionaries. In computing and linguistics, lexica are structured databases of lexical entries, used in natural language processing, machine translation, search, and speech technologies. Notable examples include WordNet and a wide range of language-specific resources, including crowd-sourced projects like Wiktionary.