Definition of vocabulary Vocabulary

/vowkæˈbjʌlɛˌɹi/ - [vowkabyuleree] - vo•cab•u•lar•y

We found 14 definitions of vocabulary from 7 different sources.

What does vocabulary mean?

WordNet

Noun Plural: vocabularies
vocabulary - a language user's knowledge of words
		lexicon, mental lexicon
		cognition, knowledge, noesis the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning
		language, speech the mental faculty or power of vocal communication; "language sets homo sapiens apart from all other animals"
vocabulary - the system of techniques or symbols serving as a means of expression (as in arts or crafts); "he introduced a wide vocabulary of techniques"
		frame of reference, frame a system of assumptions and standards that sanction behavior and give it meaning
vocabulary - a listing of the words used in some enterprise

= synonym
= antonym
= related word

Wiktionary

vocabulary (Noun)
A usually alphabetized and explained collection of words e. g. of a particular field, or prepared for a specific purpose, often for learning.
vocabulary (Noun)
The collection of words a person knows and uses.
vocabulary (Noun)
The stock of words used in a particular field.
vocabulary (Noun)
The words of a language collectively.
vocabulary (Noun)
A range of artistic or stylistic forms or techniques.

Webster DictionaryWebster's Unabridged Dictionary 📘

vocabulary (n.)
A list or collection of words arranged in alphabetical order and explained; a dictionary or lexicon, either of a whole language, a single work or author, a branch of science, or the like; a word-book.
vocabulary (n.)
A sum or stock of words employed.

OmegaWiki DictionaryOmegaWiki Dictionary Ω

vocabulary
A list of words or phrases of a language, technical field or some specialized area, usually arranged in alphabetical order and often provided with brief definitions and with foreign translations.

Sailor's Word-BookThe Sailor's Word-Book ⛵

vocabulary
The system of naval signals based on Sir Home Popham's improvements.

Wikipedia

Vocabulary means a list of words. Someone's vocabulary is all the words that he or she knows. A 5 year old would probably know about 5000 words. An adult who has studied at university or college may know at least 20000 words in their language.

The vocabulary of a language is always changing. New words are invented or words change their meaning. This means that dictionaries have to be updated. Words to do with computers such as "download" are new to the English language. The new word "bling" came from hip hop. Words like "gay" and "cool" have developed new meanings.

If someone wanted to try to find out roughly how many words they knew, they could look at a page in a dictionary and count how many of those words they knew (counting things like “sing”, “sang”, “sung”, “singing” as one word). If they multiplied that by how many pages there were in the dictionary they could estimate how many words they knew.

It is difficult to be exact. Some words may be understood but not known well enough to be used. Words that are used are part of a person's “active vocabulary”. Words that are only understood and not used are called “passive vocabulary”.

Sometimes it may not be easy to decide if a word is understood. It may depend on the context. Knowing the “context” the word is being used in may make it possible to guess what it means. Without knowing what a "chough" is, the phrase “I saw a chough fly off from its nest” would indicate that it is a kind of bird.

Someone who knows many words is