1. to make into a lexical item; to incorporate a word or phrase into the vocabulary of a language
Usage: linguistics; technical

Examples

• The language lexicalizes many borrowed words from English.
• Over time, the phrase lexicalizes and becomes a single unit of meaning.
• This dialect lexicalizes concepts that other languages express through phrases.
• The community lexicalizes new terms as technology advances.
• Children naturally lexicalize the sounds they hear into meaningful words.