WordGarden.iolexeme
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /lˈɛksiːm/
US
- /lˈɛksiːm/
Meanings
Noun
an abstract vocabulary unit treated as the same word across inflected forms
Beyond the definition
Imagine building with LEGO bricks. You may use the same kind of brick in several places, even if each one appears in a slightly different position. In language, a lexeme works in a similar way: it is the basic word unit that stands behind different forms of the same word. For example, "walk," "walks," "walking," and "walked" all belong to the same lexeme: WALK. Linguists use this term to talk about the shared identity and meaning of a word, rather than just one form that appears in speech or writing.
Have you ever wondered why we recognize a word even when it changes its form? That's where the concept of a lexeme comes in. A lexeme is an abstract unit of vocabulary: the basic word item that connects a group of related forms. It is not just one spelling or one sound. Instead, it is the shared meaning behind the different grammatical forms that belong together.
Think of the word "sing." In real use, we might say "sing," "sings," "singing," "sang," or "sung." These forms look or sound different, but they are usually treated as forms of the same lexeme: SING. The lexeme is the underlying vocabulary item, while the individual word forms show tense, aspect, number, or other grammatical changes.
Linguists use lexemes to study language in a clear and organized way. The idea helps them describe dictionary entries, compare word families, study language change, and build systems for natural language processing. It is useful because it separates the main vocabulary item from the many forms that appear in actual sentences.
Unlike the everyday word "word," which may mean one spoken or written form, a lexeme refers to the whole underlying item that ties those forms together. So when you see different versions like "write," "writes," "writing," and "wrote," you can think of one shared vocabulary unit behind them. That is the lexeme.
Examples
- 1
Word forms
The forms "write," "writes," "wrote," and "written" belong to the same lexeme.
- 2
Research counting
In the study, each lexeme was counted once, even if it appeared in several different forms.
- 3
Dictionary entries
The dictionary treats "light" the noun and "light" the adjective as separate lexemes.
See also
Similar
- lexical item
- lexical unit
- vocabulary item
Shades of meaning
Contrast
- word form
- morpheme
Used with (collocations)
- a lexeme and its inflected forms
- lexeme-based analysis
- identify the lexeme
Word family
- lexemic
Explore
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- lexemenoun