A
lexical item (or
lexical unit,
lexical entry) is a single word, a part of a word, or a chain of words (=
catena) that forms the basic elements of a language's
lexicon (˜ vocabulary). Examples are
cat,
traffic light,
take care of,
by the way, and
it's raining cats and dogs. Lexical items can be generally understood to convey a single meaning, much as a
lexeme, but are not limited to single words. Lexical items are like
semes in that they are "natural units" translating between languages, or in learning a new language. In this last sense, it is sometimes said that language consists of grammaticalized lexis, and not lexicalized grammar. The entire store of lexical items in a language is called its
lexis.