Definition

1. Noun:
   • The meaning of a content word that depends on the nonlinguistic concepts it is used to express. It is the inherent, dictionary definition of a word, independent of grammatical function or context.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The lexical meaning of "apple" is a round fruit with red or green skin and a whitish interior.
  • Dictionaries primarily list the lexical meaning of words.
  • Understanding the lexical meaning is the first step before learning how a word is used in different grammatical structures.

Advanced Usage

• Lexical meaning vs. grammatical meaning: Lexical meaning is the core conceptual content (e.g., "run" as a physical action), while grammatical meaning relates to a word's function in a sentence (e.g., "-s" in "runs" indicates third-person singular).

  • In the sentence "Time flies," the lexical meaning of "flies" (insects) conflicts with its intended grammatical meaning here (to pass quickly).

• Role in semantics: Lexical meaning is a central concept in the field of lexical semantics, which studies how words denote concepts and relate to each other.

  • The study of lexical meaning helps explain why "buy" and "purchase" are synonyms.

Variants and Related Words

• Lexical (adjective): Pertaining to the words or vocabulary of a language.

  • There is a lexical difference between British and American English (e.g., "lift" vs. "elevator").

• Lexeme (noun): A basic unit of lexical meaning, which exists regardless of any inflectional endings.

  • The words "run," "runs," "ran," and "running" are all forms of the same lexeme, which carries the core lexical meaning of moving swiftly on foot.

Synonyms

• Denotative meaning: The primary, literal meaning of a word.
• Dictionary meaning: The meaning as typically defined in a dictionary.

Related Phrases and Concepts

• Lexical field: A set of words grouped because they share a similar lexical meaning or semantic domain.

  • "Oak," "maple," and "pine" belong to the lexical field of trees.

• Lexical ambiguity: When a word has more than one possible lexical meaning.

  • The word "bank" has lexical ambiguity, as it can mean the side of a river or a financial institution.

Noun

1. the meaning of a content word that depends on the nonlinguistic concepts it is used to express