wordspecifically

Wordspecifically is a neologism used in linguistic and writing-discussion contexts to indicate that a statement concerns the exact lexical item rather than a general sense or category. It combines the words “word” and “specifically” into a single marker and is typically encountered in informal online discussions, teaching material, or annotation guidelines rather than in formal linguistic theory.

Origin and usage notes: The term is not part of standardized linguistic notation, and its exact usage varies by community. It commonly functions as a clarifying modifier that signals the description applies to the specific lexeme itself—its form, spelling, or pronunciation—rather than to its broader meaning or grammatical class. In practice, it may appear as a parenthetical or inline marker within examples or notes about a particular word.

Examples: The sentence “The wordspecifically 'bank' here means the financial institution, not the riverbank.” illustrates how the marker directs attention to the lexeme as used. In corpus annotation discussions, editors might say a note is wordspecifically about the exact spelling 'colour' rather than about the concept of color, distinguishing form from sense.

Relation to other terms: Wordspecifically is related to ideas of lexeme versus lemma, form versus meaning, and annotation tags in corpus linguistics. While it can aid precision in informal or pedagogical contexts, users should be aware that it is not universally recognized and may be unfamiliar to readers outside specific circles.

See also: specifically, lexeme, lemma, corpus annotation.