A word or number of words that could be considered a single item of vocabulary is called what?

• A. Lexical item
• B. Language systems
• C. Lexical set
• D. Meta-language

Answer: (A)

In vocabulary study, a single unit of meaning that can be just a word or a fixed combination of words is called a lexical item. It’s the basic entry you learn or look up in the mental lexicon, whether it’s a simple word like “book” or a multiword expression like “take care of” that functions as one unit of meaning. The other terms don’t fit: language systems refers to the overall structure of a language, a lexical set is a group of related items, and meta-language is language used to talk about language.