lexicalized
7.9
An idea said with one word instead of a phrase
- adjective
- /ˈlɛksɪkəlaɪzd/
- Specialized
:
lexicalizado
- The term 'selfie' has become a lexicalized part of modern language.
Examples
-
In linguistics, expressions can become lexicalized when they are regularly used as single words.
-
Again we begin with a cave, a lexicalized image already found in Plato, wherein the lack of light symbolizes lack of knowledge.
Academic text (1996) -
New phrases often become lexicalized through common usage in everyday conversation.
Compounds
How Lexicalized
Surface Forms
lexicalized positive
Morphology
lexicalized = lexicalize (transparent) = lexical + ize + ed
Formed by the verb 'lexicalize' plus '-ed' (past-participle/adjectival), a regular and predictable derivation.
Etymology
Lexicalized comes from the Greek root lexis meaning 'word' and the ending -ize meaning 'make into', so to be lexicalized is to be 'made into a word' and added to the vocabulary, like when a long phrase becomes one new, accepted word.