What is lexicology?

Lexicology is the branch of linguistics that studies the structure, meaning, and behavior of words within a language. It focuses on the vocabulary (lexicon) of a language, analyzing individual words and their interrelations, such as word formation, meaning changes, and usage.

Key areas within lexicology include:

Word formation: How new words are created (e.g., compounding, derivation).

Word meaning (semantics): How meaning is assigned to words and how it changes over time.

Word classification: The categorization of words into parts of speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.).

Etymology: The study of the origins and history of words, which is a subset of lexicology.

Lexicology is closely related to lexicography, which deals with the practical task of compiling dictionaries.