Lexicon Vs Dictionary

Bob Diebel

I was looking for the difference, a description of a Lexicon Vs Dictionary.

Looking on the internet is very confusing with a lot of cross-talk.

Any and all help in understanding the difference would be much appreciated.

Thanx,

In HIM,

Bob D.

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Jack Caviness

In the Logos universe,

Dictionaries are English language dictionaries (suppose that is also true of other languages)

Lexicons are Original Language dictionaries (Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic)

Encyclopedias are Bible dictionaries.

Joseph Sollenberger

From the following smart search in Logos: Compare and contrast dictionary and lexicon.

A dictionary and a lexicon are closely related reference works with subtle distinctions. While the terms are often used interchangeably, a lexicon can be understood as a dictionary between two languages[1]. A lexicon lists words, typically in alphabetical order, and provides their range of meanings through equivalent words in another language. In a Hebrew lexicon, for instance, specific biblical references often accompany word definitions, serving both as a dictionary and a type of concordance[2]. Dictionaries are fundamentally word-books arranged in a fixed order (usually alphabetical) for quick reference, with varying levels of detail - from bare definitions to longer treatises[3]. Importantly, they differ from Bible dictionaries, which are more encyclopedic, discussing concepts across interrelated terms, whereas lexicons/dictionaries focus on defining individual words[1]. Scholars caution that lexicons are not infallible and merely list possible meanings, so interpreters must always evaluate word usage in specific contexts[2].

[1] Lee M. Fields, Hebrew for the Rest of Us: Using Hebrew Tools to Study the Old Testament, Second Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2023), 57.
[2] Jason S. DeRouchie, How to Understand and Apply the Old Testament: Twelve Steps from Exegesis to Theology (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2017), 271.
[3] E. C. Richardson, “Dictionaries,” in The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, ed. James Orr et al. (Chicago: The Howard-Severance Company, 1915), 843–844.

This is the common understanding for those working in Biblical studies, but there are lexicons that list words for field specific domains containing technical words with non-general meanings. To most these would look like a specialized dictionary but the work is usually titles as "A lexicon of …". These lexicons often use a single language and offer no translation to another language.

Rick Brannan

A "Dictionary" is usually understood as a resource regarding words in a particular language, usually providing short definitions. This is an assembly of known words in a language ("comprehensive", "exhaustive") or a subset of most-used words, or words in a particular domain.

Technically a "Lexicon" is a resource about words in a given corpus. So a "Lexicon of the Greek New Testament" is a resource on words in the corpus "Greek New Testament". Some corpora are larger (e.g. BDAG, "A Lexicon on the Greek New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature"), some are smaller (e.g. a lexicon focused on words used by a particular author, or a corpus of Akkadian tablets [like the Amarna Letters]).

Ben

Dictionaries are for same-language; lexicons are for cross language, like English-Greek or French-Ugaritic.

Joseph Sollenberger

Perplexity AI provided the following useful summary:

A dictionary and a lexicon both provide information about the words of a language, but they differ in scope, purpose, and level of detail[2][4][3].

Core Definitions

Dictionary: A reference work, usually arranged alphabetically, that provides definitions, pronunciation, usage, origin, and sometimes synonyms for words in a language. Dictionaries are typically general reference tools, though specialized editions exist[2][3].
Lexicon: Primarily, the term refers to the full set of words in a language (its vocabulary) or the specialized vocabulary of a group, field, or individual[4][2]. In practice, “lexicon” can also refer to a specialized type of dictionary—often exhaustive or subject-specific, and sometimes organized differently than ordinary dictionaries[3][2].

Similarities

Both dictionary and lexicon are collections of words and their meanings[2][3].
Both are used as reference tools to understand definitions and usage of words[4].

Linguistic Usage

In linguistics, “lexicon” can refer to the mental lexicon, which means the set of vocabulary known by an individual or group, as opposed to a published reference work[1][5].
Lexicographers compile dictionaries, while a “lexicon” often refers to both the vocabulary itself and any published work cataloging it[3][4].

Unique Aspects

Dictionaries are edited and published by professionals for reference; a lexicon can also mean the sum of words known or used within a particular culture, period, or even by one person[3][1].
Lexicons often cover more specialized or historical aspects of vocabulary and may organize material by grammar rather than simple alphabetical order[2][3].

Dictionaries are accessible, alphabetically arranged references for a broad user base, while lexicons cover all the words of a language (or of a specific field), targeting more scholarly, technical, or deeply descriptive needs[2][3][4].

Sources
[1] 2.4. The lexicon and dictionaries – The Linguistic Analysis of Word ... https://pressbooks.openedmb.ca/wordandsentencestructures/chapter/the-lexicon-and-dictionaries/
[2] Vocabulary Lists Defined: Dictionary, Glossary, Lexicon, Word List ... https://fireflylinguistics.com/vocabulary-lists-defined-dictionary-glossary-lexicon-word-list-what-is-the-difference/
[3] Dictionaries and Lexicons - DAILY WRITING TIPS https://www.dailywritingtips.com/dictionaries-and-lexicons/
[4] Lexicon | Definition & Examples - Lesson - Study.com https://study.com/learn/lesson/what-is-a-lexicon.html
[5] Whats a lexicon and whats the difference between it and a dictionary? https://www.reddit.com/r/languagelearning/comments/yrnvq7/whats_a_lexicon_and_whats_the_difference_between/
[6] Lexicon vs. Dictionary & visibility in information tool https://community.logos.com/discussion/88614/lexicon-vs-dictionary-visibility-in-information-tool/p1
[7] Lexicon vs. Vocabulary? | Science Fiction & Fantasy forum https://www.sffchronicles.com/threads/573580/

Jason Stone (Logos)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1381172#Comment_1381172

I'm appreciative that your AI search found the Logos community forums in their response (here), but per the community site's rules, let's keep from copying and pasting lengthy bits of AI generated content.

Francis

The key here is to differentiate between the question of how lexicon and dictionary are "normally" defined vs. how these are actually used in biblical studies and in Logos. In Logos, the word lexicon is used to describe cross-languages dictionaries from one language to another whereas the word dictionary is used to describe an alphabetically ordered reference resource in a single language (dictionary of biblical imagery, dictionary of biographies, Webster's dictionary, etc.).

This is the general classification used in the Logos library filter bar and generally in biblical studies (in English). However, some works that are cross-language often use the word "dictionary" in their titles (e.g., Clines' Dictionary of Classical Hebrew). Cline's "dictionary" is, according to how the term is generally used in English in biblical studies and Logos, a lexicon. So the distinction made above between cross-language and single language is more a convention than a rule.

However, the word lexicon can also be used in a different sense akin to a glossary. This can be even more so in other languages, like French where lexique is definitely a list of short word definitions whereas a dictionnaire is expected to be more detailed and possibly explicative.