vocabulary

From French vocabulaire, borrowed from Late Latin vocābulārium. See vocable.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /vəʊˈkabjʊləɹɪ/, /vəˈkabjʊləɹɪ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /voʊˈkæbjəlɛɹi/, /vəˈkæbjəlɛɹi/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: vo‧cab‧u‧lary

vocabulary (countable and uncountable, plural vocabularies)

1. A usually alphabetized and explained collection of words e.g. of a particular field, or prepared for a specific purpose, often for learning.
2. The collection of words a person knows and uses.

   My Russian vocabulary is very limited.

3. The stock of words used in a particular field.

   The vocabulary of social sciences is often incomprehensible to ordinary people.

4. The words of a language collectively; lexis.

   The vocabulary of any language is influenced by contacts with other cultures.

   • 2018, Clarence Green, James Lambert, “Advancing disciplinary literacy through English for academic purposes: Discipline-specific wordlists, collocations and word families for eight secondary subjects”, in Journal of English for Academic Purposes, volume 35, →DOI, page 106:

     Vocabulary provides a foundation from which grammar, phonology, and morphology emerge, and in a subject area it provides access to conceptual knowledge. Vocabulary selection for pedagogical purposes is therefore crucial.

5. (by extension) A range of artistic or stylistic forms or techniques.

• clavis
• glossary
• idioticon
• word-stock

• dictionary
• lexicon
• wordhoard

• vocable
• vocal