lexicalize
/ˈlɛksɪkəlaɪz/
lexicalize verb: to become part of the vocabulary of a language as a single lexical unit with a distinct meaning.
Verb
lexicalize (third-person singular simple present lexicalizes, present participle lexicalizing, simple past and past participle lexicalized)
- To become part of the vocabulary of a language as a single lexical unit with a distinct meaning.
- To accept a term into one's own vocabulary as a distinct lexical unit.
- In fact, the child will lexicalize one, two, or three elements of the semantic representation according to his lexicalization span.1975, Eric H. Lenneberg, Elizabeth Lenneberg, Foundations of Language Development: A Multidisciplinary Approach, volume 1, page 192
Forms of lexicalize
| third-person singular present | lexicalizes |
|---|---|
| present participle | lexicalizing |
| past participle | lexicalized |
| past | lexicalized |
| alternative form | lexicalise |
Origin of lexicalize
From lexical + -ize.
Words formed from lexicalize
Questions about lexicalize
- What does lexicalize mean?
- Lexicalize means to become part of the vocabulary of a language as a single lexical unit with a distinct meaning.
- What part of speech is lexicalize?
- Lexicalize is a verb.
- How do you pronounce lexicalize?
- Lexicalize is pronounced /ˈlɛksɪkəlaɪz/.
- What is the past tense of lexicalize?
- The past tense of lexicalize is lexicalized.
Words near lexicalize in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: lexicalize (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-lexicalize.wav.
Cite this entry: “lexicalize.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/lexicalize. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.