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vocabulary

Vocabulary is all the words in a language, or a special group of words. Studying flash cards and making an effort to integrate new words into your everyday speech is a great way to expand your vocabulary.

First used in the 1500s to mean a list of words with explanations, the noun vocabulary came to refer to the “range of language of a person or group” about two hundred years later. A lot of hobbies, like dance or knitting, require that you learn their unique vocabulary before you can get the most out of them. If you're in a rush, vocab is a faster way to say vocabulary.

DEFINITIONS OF: vocabulary

1

n a language user's knowledge of words

Synonyms:
lexicon, mental lexicon
Type of:
cognition, knowledge, noesis
the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning

n a listing of the words used in some enterprise

Type of:
wordbook
a reference book containing words (usually with their meanings)

n the system of techniques or symbols serving as a means of expression (as in arts or crafts)

“he introduced a wide vocabulary of techniques”
Type of:
frame, frame of reference
a system of assumptions and standards that sanction behavior and give it meaning
WORD FAMILY
USAGE EXAMPLES