Legal Definitions - lexical definition

A lexical definition explains the meaning of a word based on how it is commonly used and understood within a language community. It describes the conventional, generally accepted meaning of a term, often as found in a standard dictionary, reflecting common usage rather than a specialized, technical, or prescriptive interpretation.

• Example 1: Defining a Common Object

  Imagine someone asks, "What is a book?" A lexical definition would state: "A set of written or printed pages fastened together along one side and encased between covers, typically containing text or images."

  This illustrates a lexical definition because it provides the widely understood and conventional meaning of "book" that most people would recognize from everyday experience and a general dictionary. It doesn't delve into specific types of books (e.g., a legal brief, a ledger, a comic book) or their specialized functions, but rather the broad, common understanding.

• Example 2: Defining an Everyday Action

  If you were to define the verb "to walk," a lexical definition would be: "To move along on foot at a moderate pace, typically with one foot always on the ground."

  This example demonstrates a lexical definition by presenting the standard, everyday understanding of the action "walk." It describes the common physical act without introducing specialized contexts like "walking the plank," "walking a tightrope," or the specific gait analysis used in sports science, which would involve more technical or nuanced definitions.

• Example 3: Defining an Abstract Concept

  Consider the word "freedom." A lexical definition might be: "The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint."

  This showcases a lexical definition because it captures the general, commonly understood meaning of "freedom" that an educated adult would grasp in everyday conversation. While "freedom" can have profound philosophical, political, or legal interpretations (e.g., negative vs. positive freedom, freedom of speech under the First Amendment), this definition provides the broad, conventional sense found in a dictionary, accessible to a non-specialist audience.