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lexical meaning

lexical meaning

7.0
A thing a word points to in the real world, like an animal or object, not its grammar use
  • noun
  • /ˈlɛksɪkəl ˈmiːnɪŋ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : significado léxico
  • The lexical meaning of the word 'dog' refers to a domesticated animal often kept as a pet.

Examples

  • In linguistics, the lexical meaning describes how words relate to specific concepts or objects.

  • Understanding the lexical meaning of words is essential for effective communication.

  • If we, if we look at the, the lexical meaning of this term, who, who speak for God, quite often they didn't feel like doing that.

Synonyms

meaning
vslexical meaning
890 1.0

An idea a word or sign shows

is limited to reference to real objects rather than grammatical function
word meaning
vslexical meaning
3.5

The idea a word gives about someone, something, or an action

focuses on reference to real objects rather than grammatical role

How Specific

nuance
74 5.1
lexical meaning
  • Specialized
7.0
term
4.1

Surface Forms

Morphology

lexical + meaning

The phrase is directly compositional: 'lexical' = concerning the vocabulary and 'meaning' = the sense of a word, so together they signal the vocabulary-related sense of a word (as opposed to grammatical meaning). This adjective+noun combination follows ordinary compositional patterns found cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to derive the intended sense.

Etymology

Lexical meaning comes from the image of a word holding a small picture of a thing: lexical is the word itself and meaning is the picture it shows. So it means the 'real-world' sense of a word — the object or idea it names, not its 'grammar' or 'structural' role in a sentence.