Lexical Relation

Definition:

A lexical relation is a culturally recognized pattern of association that exists between lexical units in a language.

Kinds:

Examples:

(English paradigmatic lexical relations)

Here is a table showing some common paradigmatic lexical relations in English with example sets and underlying structure:

Lexical relation	Example set	Underlying structure
synonym	A "happy" synonym set: {happy, joyful, glad}	simple set
measurement	A "temperature" set: {cold, cool, lukewarm, warm, hot}	scale
opposite	A "social relation" set: {(student, teacher), (patient, doctor)}	set of pairs
generic-specific whole-part	A "whole-part" tree: house roof walls floor	tree

Underlying structure
	Each lexical relation has an underlying structure that describes the relationship that senses within a lexical relation set have with each other.
	Here are some underlying structures of lexical relations:
	simple set scale set of pairs tree

Glossary of Linguistic Terms