lexicalize

UK: /ˈleksɪkəlaɪz/ US: (lek′si kə līz′)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

lex•i•cal•ize  (lek′si kə līz′), v.t., -ized, -iz•ing. [Ling.]

1. Linguistics to convert (an affix, a phrase, etc.) into a lexical item, as in using the suffix -ism as the noun ism.
2. Linguistics to represent (a set of semantic features) by a lexical item.

Also,[esp. Brit.,] lex′i•cal•ise′. 

• lexical + -ize 1935–40

lex′i•cal•i•za′tion, n.