lex: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
LowTechnical / Informal / Historical
Quick answer
What does “lex” mean?
To analyse or process words, especially using a lexicon or dictionary.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
To analyse or process words, especially using a lexicon or dictionary; also a shortened form of 'lexicon' in computing/informal contexts.
Informal or technical term for language, vocabulary, or linguistic analysis. In law (historical), a code of laws, from the Latin.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is largely consistent in technical/academic circles. As a clipped informal noun ('the lex'), it might be slightly more prevalent in UK tech/internet slang.
Connotations
In both varieties, the verb sounds highly technical or jargonistic. The noun suggests informality or field-specific shorthand.
Frequency
Very low frequency in general usage. Slightly higher frequency in specific fields like computational linguistics or language technology, where it is recognised jargon.
Grammar
How to Use “lex” in a Sentence
to lex + NP (object)NP (software) + lex + NP (text)Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “lex” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The parser must first lex the input string before any syntactic analysis.
- Early NLP systems spent most of their time trying to lex the text accurately.
American English
- This function will lex the document and tag each token.
- We need to lex this corpus to build a frequency list.
adverb
British English
- None standard. Hypothetical: 'The text was analysed lexically, not semantically.' (Uses 'lexically', not 'lex').
American English
- None standard. Hypothetical: 'The processor functions lexically first.' (Uses 'lexically', not 'lex').
adjective
British English
- The lex analyser is a crucial component of the compiler. (Note: 'lexical analyser' is far more common)
- They discussed lex rules for the new language model.
American English
- She works on lex generation algorithms. (Note: 'lexical generation' is standard)
- The lex module threw an error.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually unused.
Academic
Used in linguistics, especially computational linguistics, to describe the process of lexical analysis.
Everyday
Extremely rare. Might be used humorously or by language enthusiasts.
Technical
The primary domain. Refers to the process of breaking text into lexical tokens (words, morphemes).
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “lex”
- Using 'lex' as a common synonym for 'speak' or 'read'.
- Overusing the clipped noun form 'lex' in formal writing where 'lexicon' or 'vocabulary' is required.
- Assuming it is a mainstream verb.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but it is a low-frequency, specialized word. It functions primarily as a verb in technical contexts (linguistics, computing) meaning to perform lexical analysis, and as a clipped noun for 'lexicon' in informal jargon.
It is not recommended, as it will likely not be understood. Use common verbs like 'analyse', 'look up', or 'check in the dictionary' instead.
In computational linguistics, 'lexing' (or lexical analysis) is the earlier stage of breaking text into tokens (words, punctuation). 'Parsing' is the subsequent stage of analysing the grammatical structure of those tokens.
Etymologically, no. 'Lex' as a word comes from 'lexicon' (from Greek) or Latin 'lex' (law). The name Alex is a shortening of Alexander, from Greek 'alexein' (to defend). It's a coincidental homograph.
To analyse or process words, especially using a lexicon or dictionary.
Lex is usually technical / informal / historical in register.
Lex: in British English it is pronounced /lɛks/, and in American English it is pronounced /lɛks/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None in common usage”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of LEXicon. To LEX is to look up or break down words into the components found in a LEXicon.
Conceptual Metaphor
LANGUAGE IS A TOOLKIT ('lex' as the action of using the word-tools).
Practice
Quiz
In which field is the verb 'to lex' most commonly used?