Langimage
English

non-lexical

|non/lex/i/cal|

C1

/nɒnˈlɛksɪkəl/

not related to words

Etymology
Etymology Information

'non-lexical' originates from the prefix 'non-' meaning 'not' and 'lexical' from the Greek word 'lexikos', meaning 'of or relating to words'.

Historical Evolution

'lexikos' transformed into the Latin word 'lexicalis', and eventually became the modern English word 'lexical'. The prefix 'non-' was added to form 'non-lexical'.

Meaning Changes

Initially, 'lexikos' meant 'of or relating to words', and 'non-' negated this meaning, forming 'non-lexical' to mean 'not relating to words'.

Meanings by Part of Speech

Adjective 1

not relating to the words or vocabulary of a language.

The sounds were non-lexical, more like music than speech.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Last updated: 2025/02/17 09:17