Lexical is an adjective that refers to anything related to words or vocabulary. It pertains to the vocabulary of a language, the words or phrases that are used to convey meaning. The term is often used in linguistic studies, where it describes the aspect of language that focuses on words, their meanings, and how they are formed and used within a particular language system.
In linguistics, lexical refers to the lexicon of a language, which is the collection of words and phrases that constitute the vocabulary of a language. This includes all kinds of words, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, and conjunctions, as well as phrases and idiomatic expressions. Lexical morphology, for example, studies the rules and patterns of word formation, while lexical semantics examines the meaning of words and how they relate to each other.
Lexical also refers to the lexical information or knowledge that speakers have about words, such as their meanings, grammatical properties, and associations with other words. This knowledge allows speakers to understand and use words effectively in communication.
The term can also be used to describe something that is related to a dictionary or a lexicon. For example, a lexical entry is a dictionary entry that includes information about a word's meaning, pronunciation, usage, and other relevant linguistic features.
Overall, lexical pertains to words, vocabulary, and their properties, and is an essential aspect of language understanding and communication.
