lexicalization.

1. The expression of a meaning through a word or morpheme rather than a grammatical construction.

2. The development of a transparent phrase or form into an established unit with specialized or idiomatic behavior.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• lexicalization of a concept
• lexicalization pattern
• lexicalization of motion

On the page

The paper compared the lexicalization of motion events in the two languages.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic / formal / analytical. Lexical Type: Word. Forms: Usually uncountable; no ordinary plural in this sense. Commonness: uncommon (editorial estimate; not a corpus frequency statistic). Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1; numbered fields keep each relevant meaning separate. Research distinction: Both dictionary senses retained: lexical encoding of meaning and a free form becoming an idiomatic lexical unit; not treated as the simple opposite of grammaticalization. Writing functions: language analysis, conceptual distinction.