Lexicographies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A collection of works that compile and define words, typically focusing on a specific language or dialect
2. The scholarly practice of creating dictionaries and exploring word meanings and usages in depth
3. A systematic study and documentation of vocabulary, often involving historical and contemporary language analysis

Etymology: The word is a plural, so the story belongs to its singular, "lexicography," the practice of compiling and defining words. Its building blocks come from ancient Greek. "Lexis" (speech, word, or way of speaking) derives from "legein," meaning "to say" or "to speak," and it gave rise to "lexikos," relating to words. The second element, "graphia," comes from "graphein," meaning "to write," and English took it through French as the suffix "-graphy." Put together, the pieces describe writing about words. The "-graphy" suffix is the same one found in "geography," which is literally earth-writing, and "biography," which is life-writing. Lexicography therefore follows the same pattern, pairing a Greek root for a subject with a suffix for the act of writing about it.