Paralexical

//pæɹəˈlɛksɪkəl// adj

adj ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Pertaining to, or communicated through, paralexicon (parallel vocabulary, e.g. ritual or secret cant, formal jargon) not-comparable
  2. 2
    Pertaining to elements of speech beside the lexicon and grammar. Prosodic, paralinguistic. not-comparable

    "Aural communication includes spoken words and paralexical sounds (groans, screams, whimpers); sound effects (wind, a car starting up and driving away); and music."

Example

More examples

"Aural communication includes spoken words and paralexical sounds (groans, screams, whimpers); sound effects (wind, a car starting up and driving away); and music."

Etymology

* para- + lexical * paralexicon + -al

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.