| lexicon |
| Definition:
(1) A word-book or dictionary; especially a dictionary of Greek, Hebrew, Syriac, or Arabic. (2) A vocabulary proper to a particular sphere of activity (e.g., a lexicon of love). (3) The set of lexemes (i.e., words that are the source of multiple inflected forms) that make up a language. |
| Etymology: The word derives from the Greek lexikon biblion, word book (from lexis, word). |
| Oxford English Dictionary: The first OED citation for the word in its word-book sense is from 1603; the first citation for its specialized-vocabulary sense is from 1647: "This barbarous Term you will not meet In all Love's Lexicon." (Cowley Mistress, Discretion, 66) |