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lexical category

/ˈlɛksɪkəl ˈkætəɡəri/
phrase★Intermediate— a word class or part of speech
technical

a grammatical classification of words based on their function and properties

In English, 'run' can belong to multiple lexical categories depending on its use.

The word 'run' can be a verb (action) or a noun (a small stream).

💡

Lexical categories include nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, and others.

Collocations

lexical category of a wordthe grammatical class a word belongs to

Synonyms

word classpart of speechgrammatical category

Related Phrases

open classphrase
a lexical category that can add new words (e.g., nouns, verbs)
closed classphrase
a lexical category with a fixed set of words (e.g., pronouns, prepositions)

💡Pro Tip

Distinguishing lexical categories

Pay attention to how a word functions in a sentence to determine its lexical category.

⚡Gold Rule

Function determines category

A word's role in a sentence (subject, object, modifier) often reveals its lexical category.

📖Word Origin

From Greek 'lexikos' (pertaining to words) + 'category' (classification)

📝Usage Notes

In linguistics, lexical categories are fundamental for understanding sentence structure and meaning.

Word Breakdown

lexical
relating to words
root
+
category
a group or class
root
English Dictionary

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