ISO/FDIS 1951

FINAL DRAFT
International
Standard
ISO/TC 37/SC 2
Presentation of lexicographic
Secretariat: SN
entries in general language
Voting begins on:
dictionaries — Fundamentals and
2026-03-20
recommendations
Voting terminates on:
2026-05-15
RECIPIENTS OF THIS DRAFT ARE INVITED TO SUBMIT,
WITH THEIR COMMENTS, NOTIFICATION OF ANY
RELEVANT PATENT RIGHTS OF WHICH THEY ARE AWARE
AND TO PROVIDE SUPPOR TING DOCUMENTATION.
IN ADDITION TO THEIR EVALUATION AS
BEING ACCEPTABLE FOR INDUSTRIAL, TECHNO­
LOGICAL, COMMERCIAL AND USER PURPOSES, DRAFT
INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS MAY ON OCCASION HAVE
TO BE CONSIDERED IN THE LIGHT OF THEIR POTENTIAL
TO BECOME STAN DARDS TO WHICH REFERENCE MAY BE
MADE IN NATIONAL REGULATIONS.
Reference number
FINAL DRAFT
International
Standard
ISO/TC 37/SC 2
Presentation of lexicographic
Secretariat: SN
entries in general language
Voting begins on:
dictionaries — Fundamentals and
recommendations
Voting terminates on:
RECIPIENTS OF THIS DRAFT ARE INVITED TO SUBMIT,
WITH THEIR COMMENTS, NOTIFICATION OF ANY
RELEVANT PATENT RIGHTS OF WHICH THEY ARE AWARE
AND TO PROVIDE SUPPOR TING DOCUMENTATION.
© ISO 2026
IN ADDITION TO THEIR EVALUATION AS
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
BEING ACCEPTABLE FOR INDUSTRIAL, TECHNO­
LOGICAL, COMMERCIAL AND USER PURPOSES, DRAFT
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on
INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS MAY ON OCCASION HAVE
the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below
TO BE CONSIDERED IN THE LIGHT OF THEIR POTENTIAL
or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
TO BECOME STAN DARDS TO WHICH REFERENCE MAY BE
MADE IN NATIONAL REGULATIONS.
ISO copyright office
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: +41 22 749 01 11
Email: copyright@iso.org
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland Reference number
ii
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Overview of lexicographic components . 5
5 Typographical conventions . 9
Annex A (informative) Structural overview of lexicographic entries .11
Annex B (informative) Lexicographic symbols .13
Annex C (informative) Dictionary examples applying LMF modelling mechanisms . 17
Bibliography . 19

iii
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through
ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee
has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations,
governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely
with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described
in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the different types
of ISO document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the
ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
ISO draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use of (a)
patent(s). ISO takes no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any claimed patent
rights in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, ISO had not received notice of (a)
patent(s) which may be required to implement this document. However, implementers are cautioned that
this may not represent the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent database available at
www.iso.org/patents. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions
related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the World Trade
Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 37, Language and terminology, Subcommittee
SC 2, Terminology workflow and language coding.
This fourth edition cancels and replaces the third edition (ISO 1951:2007), which has been technically
revised.
The main changes are as follows:
— extending the scope;
— reviewing the entire content;
— changing the title and retaining the term “presentation”, because it is a fundamental aspect of this
document;
— noting that the term “representation” is now addressed in the ISO 24613 series available on the ISO
website;
— introducing the relationship between the generic structure and the presentation of lexicographic
entries, using the LMF (Lexical Markup Framework) TEI serialization and integrating the TEI tagset as
the reference for implementing the proposed model;
— reviewing and updating core lexicographic terms and definitions to align with the current state of the
field, as well as introducing new terms.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.

iv
Introduction
The lexicographic landscape has undergone a profound transformation over the last few decades, primarily
due to the shift to digital platforms. Technological advances have played a pivotal role in shaping new
strategies and directions: a significant number of lexicographic resources are currently accessible online,
largely due to retro-digitization; the limitations imposed by print editions are no longer a concern; the
integration of corpora has evolved into a widely recognized best practice; various dictionary writing systems
have been developed to accommodate the changing landscape; and annotation schemes have markedly
improved. In this digital age, the ongoing revolution demands the application of adapted standards and tools
to ensure the availability of structured data and promote interoperability between systems, especially given
the inherent heterogeneity in the dictionary-making process due to variations in nature, form, and content.
This document aligns with ISO 24613-1:2024, ISO 24613-2:2020, ISO 24613-3:2021 and ISO 24613-4:2021
developed by ISO/TC 37/SC 4, focusing on modelling data representation in a variety of dictionary subtypes.
The intended audience for this document includes lexicographers as well as researchers and practitioners in
the field of language resource management who work with lexicographic resources.
This document adopts a lexicographic lemma-oriented approach and focuses on general language
dictionaries, whether monolingual, bilingual, or multilingual, which serve as valuable tools and references
for broadening knowledge. Regarding the presentation of lexicographic data, the relationship between the
generic structure and the presentation of lexicographic entries is elucidated using LMF TEI serialization
(ISO 24613), integrating the TEI tagset as the reference for implementing the proposed model.
This document establishes a generic model for the presentation of lexicographic entries in general language
dictionaries and aims to:
— provide recommendations for addressing the variety of existing heterogeneous features and practices
found in human-readable dictionaries, whether in printed or digital format;
— standardize the core concepts and the terminology used for presenting the various components in a
lexicographic entry, so that a uniform metaterminology promotes consistency and data reusability;
— reproduce the typographical conventions described in previous editions of this document.
This document includes examples from printed and retro-digitized dictionaries, those converted from an
analogue (paper) or digital (e.g. PDF) medium into a computer-readable format. Born-digital dictionaries,
created directly in machine-readable formats, are excluded.
In the running text of this document, the following notations are employed:
— TEI P5 terms (element names, attribute names, attribute values, etc.) are presented in a fixed-width
(monospace) font, as follows:
— individual element names are enclosed in angle brackets, e.g. ;
— names of nested elements are represented in XPath notation, e.g. cit/quote/bibl;
— attribute names are indicated with an @sign preceding the name of the attribute, e.g. @type;
— attribute values are enclosed in double quotation marks (" "), e.g. "domain".

v
FINAL DRAFT International Standard ISO/FDIS 1951:2026(en)
Presentation of lexicographic entries in general language
dictionaries — Fundamentals and recommendations
1 Scope
This document specifies the presentation of lexicographic entries in general language dictionaries, whether
monolingual, bilingual or multilingual, following a lexicographic lemma-oriented approach, and intended
for human end-users. Concerning the modelling of the underlying data, this document follows the ISO 24613
series.
The document provides recommendations for addressing the heterogeneous structures of data presentation
in lexicographic entries, both in printed and digital dictionaries. This document also establishes core
concepts related to the broader scope of lexicographic work.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/
NOTE Terms and corresponding definitions related to lexicographic components are listed.
3.1
born-digital dictionary
lexicographic resource (3.13) that is conceptualized, designed and developed originally in digital form,
without a prior printed version
3.2
delimiter
separator
element used to separate different components of a lexicographic entry (3.12) or distinct entries within a
dictionary (3.3)
Note 1 to entry: Delimiters help to organize information, making it easier for end-users to locate and understand the
various components of a lexicographic entry.
EXAMPLE The lemma delimiter is used after a lemma (3.8); a sense delimiter is positioned before a new sense
component (3.23).
3.3
dictionary
lexicographic resource (3.13) consisting of a systematically structured
collection of lexicographic entries (3.12)
Note 1 to entry: Dictionary can have a much broader meaning. The definition presented is restricted to the scope of
this document.
3.4
dictionary structure
organized set of components that defines the arrangement of lexicographic entries (3.12), the internal
composition of each entry, and the relationships among entries within a dictionary (3.3)
Note 1 to entry: A dictionary structure typically comprises a macrostructure (3.16), one or more types of microstructure
(3.20), and, where applicable, a mediostructure (3.18).
3.5
general language
natural language (3.21) characterized by the use of linguistic means of expression independent of any
specific domain
[SOURCE: ISO 1087:2019, 3.1.8]
3.6
grammatical feature
property associated with a lexical unit (3.9) to describe one of its grammatical attributes
Note 1 to entry: Potential grammatical features include gender, number, and transitivity.
[SOURCE: ISO 24613-1:2024, 3.3, modified — “word form” replaced by “lexical unit”. Note 1 to entry added.
Example deleted.]
3.7
headword
entry word
lexicographic component (3.11) that serves as the main access point to a lexicographic entry (3.12)
Note 1 to entry: This term is included in Table 1.
3.8
lemma
lemmatized form
canonical form
base form
DEPRECATED: base word
representation of a lexical unit (3.9) chosen as the headword (3.7) in a lexicographic resource (3.13) according
to lexicographic conventions
Note 1 to entry: Conventions may vary across languages.
EXAMPLE In many European languages, nouns are lemmatized in the singular form, whereas verbs are
lemmatized in the infinitive form.
3.9
lexical unit
lexical item
lexical item within natural language (3.21) with an established meaning
Note 1 to entry: Although “lexeme” is the term used in ISO 24613-1:2024, this document adopts the term “lexical unit”.
This preference is based on its practical orientation, emphasizing a lexical item with an established meaning that is
readily identifiable and applicable. This choice avoids confusion with the more abstract concept of “lexeme”, which is
distinct from both lemma (3.8) and lexical unit, as defined in ISO 24613-1:2024.
EXAMPLE car, mega-.
3.10
lexicographer
expert who compiles or edits a dictionary (3.3)

3.11
lexicographic component
structural element of a lexicographic entry (3.12)
Note 1 to entry: Lexicographic components can include, but are not limited, to headwords (3.7), definitions, examples,
etymology and usage notes.
3.12
lexicographic entry
entry
main entry
lexicographic article
dictionary article
structured set of lexicographic components (3.11), including the headword (3.7), that describe and specify the
properties, meanings and use of a lexical unit (3.9) within a lexicographic resource (3.13)
3.13
lexicographic resource
collection of lexical data organized in one or more structures, which may include lexicographic entries (3.12)
or other forms of lexical organization
Note 1 to entry: A lexicographic resource may be intended for human use (e.g. a printed or born-digital dictionary) or
for machine processing (e.g. a machine-readable dictionary (3.15) or lexical database).
EXAMPLE Dictionaries, lexical databases, lexicographic databases, lemma lists.
3.14
lexicon
resource containing a collection of lexical units (3.9) belonging to a natural language (3.21), language variety
or subject field, without implying any specific lexicographic structuring
Note 1 to entry: A lexicon may underlie a dictionary (3.3) but does not itself require the presence of lexicographic
entries (3.12), definitions or other components typical of dictionaries.
3.15
machine-readable dictionary
MRD
electronic dictionary
DEPRECATED: computer-aided dictionary
DEPRECATED: computer-assisted dictionary
dictionary (3.3) encoded in a structured digital format that can be automatically accessed or interpreted by
software
Note 1 to entry: A machine-readable dictionary differs from a human-readable electronic dictionary in that its
structure is designed primarily for computational processing rather than visual presentation.
Note 2 to entry: The previously used terms “computer-aided dictionary” and “computer-assisted dictionary” are
deprecated, as they may be ambiguous and do not necessarily imply machine readability.
3.16
macrostructure
dictionary structure (3.4) describing the overall organization of the lexicographic entries (3.12) in a dictionary
(3.3), including the principles governing their selection, ordering and arrangement
3.17
marker
notation used in lexicographic entries (3.12) to provide metadata (3.19) about a lexical unit (3.9)
Note 1 to entry: Markers can indicate grammatical information and usage labels (3.25), helping users understand the
proper use of a lexical unit.
EXAMPLE In the lexicographic entry for the lexical unit “run”, one marker can indicate that it is a verb (e.g. v.), and
another marker can label the sense “to manage” (as in “run a business”) as informal.

3.18
mediostructure
cross-reference structure
dictionary structure (3.4) comprising cross-references that link lexicographic entries (3.12) or their
lexicographic components (3.11) within the same dictionary (3.3)
Note 1 to entry: A mediostructure establishes navigational links inside a dictionary, e.g. through references such as
“see”, “see also” or links.
3.19
metadata
data that provides information about other data related to any element of a lexicographic resource (3.13)
EXAMPLE Metadata may include the creation date of an entry, the source of a definition, the identifier of the
contributor, the timestamp of the last modification, or usage frequency.
3.20
microstructure
dictionary structure (3.4) that specifies the internal organization of the lexicographic components (3.11)
within a lexicographic entry (3.12)
Note 1 to entry: The microstructure specifies how the components of an entry are arranged, e.g. definitions,
grammatical information, usage labels (3.25), examples or cross-references.
3.21
natural language
language that is or was in active use in a community of people, and the rules of which are mainly deduced
from usage
[SOURCE: ISO 1087:2019, 3.1.7]
3.22
orthography
set of conventional rules governing the spelling and writing of lexical units (3.9) in a given language
Note 1 to entry: Orthography may include rules for letter usage, word division, capitalization, hyphenation,
accentuation and punctuation.
[SOURCE: ISO 24613-1:2024, 3.10, modified — The term “lexeme” has been changed to “lexical units”.]
3.23
sense component
part of a lexicographic entry (3.12) that presents a distinct meaning of a lexical unit (3.9)
Note 1 to entry: A sense component typically includes a definition and may also contain examples, citations, usage
labels (3.25), synonyms or other data relevant to that specific meaning.
3.24
typographical convention
set of practices governing the visual presentation of lexicographic content as displayed or output
Note 1 to entry: These conventions encompass choices related to typography, such as font usage, font size, line spacing,
margins, paragraph styles, text alignment, punctuation, symbols and other text design characteristics.
3.25
usage label
marker (3.17) that indicates a restricted use of a lexical unit (3.9)
Note 1 to entry: Usage labels address different dimensions of linguistic variation, such as space, time, social group, and
situation (see ISO 21636-1:2024).
Note 2 to entry: General and specialized dictionaries (3.3) employ a range of symbols and abbreviations as usage labels.

EXAMPLE Labels indicating currency or period (e.g. arch. for archaic), formality or register (e.g. inf. for informal),
regionality or dialect (e.g. Am. for American, York. for Yorkshire), technicality or subject field (e.g. bot. for botanical),
and textuality or genre (e.g. poet. for poetic).
4 Overview of lexicographic components
Table 1 describes various lexicographic components typically found in lexicographic resources or annotation
schemes.
Annex A provides a consolidated overview of the components of a lexicographic entry described in this
clause.
Table 1 — Lexicographic components
Preferred Other desig- Definition Further information Example
designation nations
antonym cross-reference indicating This component is general- low OPP high [Longman]
a lexical unit whose mean- ly preceded by a delimiter
desfavorable ANT.:
ing is opposite or contrary such as OPP [opposite],
favorable [DLE]
to that of the lemma ANT. [antonym] or the
symbol “≠”.
attitude label marker that indicates the nice of a (finished) action,
mood, positive or negative, task, etc.: well-executed;
which a speaker is wishing commendably performed
to convey via the use of a or accomplished. Now fre-
given lexical unit quently in interjections, as
nice going!, nice try!, nice
work!. Also used ironically
or sarcastically. [OED]
oik /ɔɪk/ noun [countable]
British English informal not
polite [Longman]
citation quote sense component that A citation should be fol- porte-arquebuse Officier
references a specific quote lowed by a bibliographic chargé de porter l'arque-
quotation
from written or spoken reference (its source). buse (puis le fusil) du roi
cited quota-
sources to illustrate the ou d'un grand seigneur,
tion
occurrence of a lexical unit quand ils allaient à la
chasse. Vous n'avez pas ici
votre bon porte-arquebuse
La Hurière (DUMAS père,
Reine Margot, 1847, II, tabl.
5, 4, p. 70). [TLFi]
cross-refer- lexicographic component The reference may be empire See also imperial
ence that provides a link or ref- internal to a lexicographic (EMPIRE) [Cambridge]
erence to another compo- resource or may point to an
arthritis [.] SEE ALSO
nent within a lexicographic external source.
osteoarthritis, rheumatoid
resource
arthritis [Oxford Advanced
Learner’s Dictionary]
ozonosfera Tb. ozonósfera,
Am. 1. f. Meteor. capa de
ozono. [DLE]
TTabablele 1 1 ((ccoonnttiinnueuedd))
Preferred Other desig- Definition Further information Example
designation nations
dating lexicographic component pill
indicating the date of the
Verb (1) 12th century, in
estimated first recorded
the meaning defined as
use of a lexical unit
intransitive sense
Noun 14th century, in the
meaning defined as sense
1a
Verb (2) 1736, in the
meaning defined as transi-
tive sense 1
[Merriam-Webster]
domain label field label marker which identifies RHÉT (for “rhétorique”
the subject field of knowl- in ALLITÉRATION [Petit
subject field
edge in which a lexical unit Robert 2017]
label
is mainly used
astronomy (for “dark
topic label
star”) [Oxford Advanced
(deprecated
Learner’s Dictionary]
term)
etymology lexicographic component This information can tuer milieu XIIe s. <> du
which contains informa- include etymons, roots, latin populaire tutare
tion about the origin of a cognates, etc. “éteindre” et “tuer”, de
lexical unit and its histori- tutari “protéger”, par l’in-
cal development termédiaire d’expressions
comme tutari famen, sitim
“calmer la faim, la soif”,
donc “protéger, garantir
de la faim, la soif ” [Petit
Robert 2017]
example usage example sense component that corriger […] corriger la vue
includes a text string to de qqn par des verres de
illustrate the occurrence of contact. [Petit Robert 2017]
a lexical unit
punish Smacking is not an
acceptable way of punishing
a child [Longman]
form lexical form orthographic or phonolog- The lexical unit run may color noun (US English)
ical realization of a lexical appear in text in the forms (British English colour)
word form
unit, typically resulting run, runs, ran or running. [Oxford Learner’s
from inflection or other Dictionaries]
regular morphological
processes
frequency marker which identifies (also less frequent flyer)
label the relative rate of occur- (for “flying start”) [Oxford
rence of a lexical unit in a Advanced Learner’s
given context Dictionary]
geographic regional label marker which identifies Some dictionaries do not RÉGION. (Sud-Ouest;
label the place or region where identify a specific place Canada) (for “chocolatine”)
a lexical unit is mainly used but identify that the lexical [Petit Robert 2017]
unit is not used generally
vacation US (UK holiday)
in every geographic area.
[Cambridge Dictionary]
plonker British English
informal not polite
[Longman]
TTabablele 1 1 ((ccoonnttiinnueuedd))
Preferred Other desig- Definition Further information Example
designation nations
gender grammatical feature of Elefant m.
nouns and of the lexical or
Ladung f.
inflectional elements that
Eis n.
agree with them, used in
[Langenscheidt Taschen-
many languages to classify
wörterbuch] (Deutsch als
nouns into categories such
Fremdsprache)
as masculine, feminine,
neuter or other noun
classes
gloss any descriptive or explan- Glosses can include short elucidation [i.lu:si'deiʃən]
atory note within a lexico- comments, remarks. N (of text) Erklärung f; (of
graphic entry issue, situation) Erhel-
lung f; (of point) nähere
Ausführung; (of mystery)
Aufklärung f, Aufhellung f
[Collins]
headword entry word lexicographic component astrónomo, ma [DLE]
(deprecated/ that identifies the lexical
obsolete term) unit treated in a lexico-
graphic entry and serves as
its main access point
inflected form modified form of a base or make (meɪk) Word forms:
root of the headword that makes, making, made
conveys specific gram- [Collins]
matical information, such
as tense, number, gender,
case, mood, etc.
lexicographic definition sense component that boxeo m Deporte en que
definition describes the meaning of dos luchadores se golpean
a lexical unit by referenc- con los puños utilizando
ing a generic term (genus guantes especiales. [DEA]
proximum) and at least one
distinguishing characteris-
tic (differentia specifica)
meaning type marker which identifies a PRINTEMPS Fig. Temps de
label semantic extension of the la jeunesse. [DAF]
sense of a given lexical unit
[grammatical] grammatical feature that ŒIL [œj], plur. YEUX [jø]
number indicates the quantity or [Petit Robert 2017]
grammatical plurality,
duality and singularity of/
within a morphological
variant of a lexical unit
normativity marker which identifies círculo […] [uso indevido
label the use of a given lexical mas generalizado] GE-
unit which is in some OMETRIA circunferência
aspect considered to be [Infopédia]
non-standard or incorrect
note auxilia
...

ISO/TC 37/SC 2/WG 9
Secretariat: SN
Date: 2025-12-082026-03-06
Presentation of lexicographic entries in general language
dictionaries — Fundamentals and recommendations
FDIS stage
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication
may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO
at the address below or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: + 41 22 749 01 11
E-mail: copyright@iso.org
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii
Contents
Foreword . iv
Introduction . v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Overview of lexicographic components . 6
5 Typographical conventions . 6
Annex A (informative) Structural overview of lexicographic entries . 14
Annex B (informative) Lexicographic symbols . 17
Annex C (informative) Dictionary examples applying LMF modelling mechanisms . 21
Bibliography . 23

iii
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through
ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been
established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and
non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described
in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the different types of
ISO documentsdocument should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules
of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
ISO draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use of (a)
patent(s). ISO takes no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any claimed patent rights
in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, ISO had not received notice of (a) patent(s)
which may be required to implement this document. However, implementers are cautioned that this may not
represent the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent database available at
www.iso.org/patents. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions
related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the World Trade
Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 37, Language and terminology, Subcommittee
SC 2, Terminology workflow and language coding.
This fourth edition cancels and replaces the third edition (ISO 1951:2007), which has been technically revised.
The main changes are as follows:
— extending the scope;
— reviewing the entire content;
— changing the title and retaining the term “presentation”, because it is a fundamental aspect of this
document;
— noting that the term “representation” is now addressed in the ISO 24613 series available on the ISO
website;
— introducing the relationship between the generic structure and the presentation of lexicographic entries,
using the LMF (Lexical Markup Framework) TEI serialization and integrating the TEI tagset as the
reference for implementing the proposed model;
— reviewing and updating core lexicographic terms and definitions to align with the current state of the field,
as well as introducing new terms.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.
iv
Introduction
The lexicographic landscape has undergone a profound transformation over the last few decades, primarily
due to the shift to digital platforms. Technological advances have played a pivotal role in shaping new
strategies and directions: a significant number of lexicographic resources are currently accessible online,
largely due to retro-digitization; the limitations imposed by print editions are no longer a concern; the
integration of corpora has evolved into a widely recognized best practice; various dictionary writing systems
have been developed to accommodate the changing landscape; and annotation schemes have markedly
improved. In this digital age, the ongoing revolution demands the application of adapted standards and tools
to ensure the availability of structured data and promote interoperability between systems, especially given
the inherent heterogeneity in the dictionary-making process due to variations in nature, form, and content.
This document aligns with ISO 24613-1:2024, ISO 24613-2:2020, ISO 24613-3:2021 and ISO 24613-4:2021
developed by ISO/TC 37/SC 4, focusing on modelling data representation in a variety of dictionary subtypes.
The intended audience for this document includes lexicographers as well as researchers and practitioners in
the field of language resource management who work with lexicographic resources.
This document adopts a lexicographic lemma-oriented approach and focuses on general language dictionaries,
whether monolingual, bilingual, or multilingual, which serve as valuable tools and references for broadening
knowledge. Regarding the presentation of lexicographic data, the relationship between the generic structure
and the presentation of lexicographic entries is elucidated using LMF TEI serialization (ISO 24613),
integrating the TEI tagset as the reference for implementing the proposed model.
This document establishes a generic model for the presentation of lexicographic entries in general language
dictionaries and aims to:
— provide recommendations for addressing the variety of existing heterogeneous features and practices
found in human-readable dictionaries, whether in printed or digital format;
— standardize the core concepts and the terminology used for presenting the various components in a
lexicographic entry, so that a uniform metaterminology promotes consistency and data reusability;
— reproduce the typographical conventions described in previous editions of ISO 1951this document.
This document includes examples from printed and retro-digitized dictionaries, those converted from an
analogue (paper) or digital (e.g. PDF) medium into a computer-readable format. Born-digital dictionaries,
created directly in machine-readable formats, are excluded.
In the running text of this document, the following notations are employed:
— TEI P5 terms (element names, attribute names, attribute values, etc.) are presented in a fixed-width
(monospace) font, as follows:
— individual element names are enclosed in angle brackets, e.g. ;
— names of nested elements are represented in XPath notation, e.g. cit/quote/bibl;
— attribute names are indicated with an @sign preceding the name of the attribute, e.g. @type;
— attribute values are enclosed in double quotation marks (" "), e.g. "domain".
v
Presentation of lexicographic entries in general language
dictionaries — Fundamentals and recommendations
1 Scope
This document specifies the presentation of lexicographic entries in general language dictionaries, whether
monolingual, bilingual or multilingual, following a lexicographic lemma-oriented approach, and intended for
human end-users. Concerning the modelling of the underlying data, this document follows the ISO 24613
series.
The document provides recommendations for addressing the heterogeneous structures of data presentation
in lexicographic entries, both in printed and digital dictionaries. This document also establishes core concepts
related to the broader scope of lexicographic work.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content constitutes
requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references,
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 639, Codes for individual languages and language groups
ISO 1087, Terminology work and terminology science — Vocabulary
ISO 24613-1, Language resource management — Lexical markup framework (LMF) — Part 1: Core model
ISO 24613-2, Language resource management — Lexical markup framework (LMF) — Part 2: Machine-readable
dictionary (MRD) model
ISO 24613-3, Language resource management — Lexical markup framework (LMF) — Part 3: Etymological
extension
ISO 24613-4, Language resource management — Lexical markup framework (LMF) — Part 4: TEI serialization
ISO 21636-1:2024, Language coding — A framework for language varieties — Part 1: Vocabulary
IETF BCP There are no normative references in this document.
47, Tags for Identifying Languages. (ed. A. Phillips; M. Davis). September 2009. Best Current Practice. URL:
https://tools.ietf.org/html/bcp47
TEI P5, Guidelines for Electronic Text Encoding and Interchange. [Version number: 4.6.0]. [Last modified date:
2023-04-04]. TEI Consortium. http://www.tei-c.org/Guidelines/P5/
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
NOTE Terms and corresponding definitions related to lexicographic components are listed.
3.1
born-digital dictionary
lexicographic resource (3.13) that is conceptualized, designed and developed originally in digital form, without
a prior printed version
3.2
delimiter
separator
element used to separate different components of a lexicographic entry (3.12) or distinct entries within a
dictionary (3.3)
Note 1 to entry: Delimiters help to organize information, making it easier for end-users to locate and understand the
various components of a lexicographic entry.
EXAMPLE The lemma delimiter is used after a lemma (3.8); a sense delimiter is positioned before a new sense
component (3.23(3.22).).
3.3
dictionary
lexicographic resource (3.13) consisting of a systematically structured
collection of lexicographic entries (3.12(3.11))
Note 1 to entry: Dictionary can have a much broader meaning. The definition presented is restricted to the scope of this
document.
3.4
dictionary structure
organized set of components that defines the arrangement of lexicographic entries (3.12(3.11),), the internal
composition of each entry, and the relationships among entries within a dictionary (3.3)
Note 1 to entry: A dictionary structure typically comprises a macrostructure (3.16,), one or more types of microstructure
(3.20,), and, where applicable, a mediostructure (3.18.).
3.5
general language
natural language (3.21) characterized by the use of linguistic means of expression independent of any specific
domain
[SOURCE: ISO 1087:2019, 3.1.8]
3.6
grammatical feature
property associated with a lexical unit (3.9) to describe one of its grammatical attributes
Note 1 to entry: Potential grammatical features include gender, number, and transitivity.
[SOURCE: ISO 24613-1:2024, 3.3, modified – — “word form” replaced by “lexical unit;”. Note 1 to entry added,
EXAMPLE removed. Example deleted.]
3.7
headword
entry word
a lexicographic component (3.11) that serves as the main access point to a lexicographic entry (3.12)
Note 1 to entry: This term is included in Table 1.
3.8
lemma
lemmatized form
canonical form
base form
DEPRECATED: base word (deprecated term)
representation of a lexical unit (3.9) chosen as the headword (3.7) in a lexicographic resource (3.13) according
to lexicographic conventions
Note 1 to entry: Conventions may vary across languages.
EXAMPLE In many European languages, nouns are lemmatized in the singular form, whereas verbs are lemmatized
in the infinitive form.
3.9
lexical unit
lexical item
lexical item within natural language (3.21) with an established meaning
Note 1 to entry: Although ‘lexeme’“lexeme” is the term used in ISO 24613-1:2024, this document adopts the term “lexical
unit”. This preference is based on its practical orientation, emphasizing a lexical item with an established meaning that
is readily identifiable and applicable. This choice avoids confusion with the more abstract concept of “lexeme”, which is
distinct from both lemma (3.8) and lexical unit, as defined in ISO 24613-1:2024.
EXAMPLE car, mega-.
3.10
lexicographer
expert who compiles or edits a dictionary (3.3)
3.11
lexicographic component
structural element of a lexicographic entry (3.12)
Note 1 to entry: Lexicographic components can include, but are not limited, to headwords (3.7,), definitions, examples,
etymology, and usage notes.
3.12
lexicographic entry
entry
main entry
lexicographic article
dictionary article
structured set of lexicographic components (3.11), including the headword (3.7), that describe and specify the
properties, meanings and use of a lexical unit (3.9) within a lexicographic resource (3.13)
3.13
lexicographic resource
collection of lexical data organized in one or more structures, which may include lexicographic entries (3.12)
or other forms of lexical organization
Note 1 to entry: A lexicographic resource may be intended for human use (e.g. a printed or born-digital dictionary) or for
machine processing (e.g. a machine-readable dictionary (3.15) or lexical database).
EXAMPLE : Dictionaries, lexical databases, lexicographic databases, lemma lists.
3.14
lexicon
resource containing a collection of lexical units (3.9) belonging to a natural language (3.21), language variety
or subject field, without implying any specific lexicographic structuring
Note 1 to entry: A lexicon may underlie a dictionary (3.3) but does not itself require the presence of lexicographic entries
(3.12), definitions or other components typical of dictionaries (3.2).
3.15
machine-readable dictionary
MRD
electronic dictionary
DEPRECATED: computer-aided dictionary
DEPRECATED: computer-assisted dictionary
dictionary (3.3) encoded in a structured digital format that can be automatically accessed or interpreted by
software
Note 1 to entry: A machine-readable dictionary differs from a human-readable electronic dictionary in that its structure
is designed primarily for computational processing rather than visual presentation.
Note 2 to entry: The previously used terms “computer-aided dictionary” and “computer-assisted dictionary” are
deprecated, as they may be ambiguous and do not necessarily imply machine readability.
3.16
macrostructure
dictionary structure (3.4) describing the overall organization of the lexicographic entries (3.12) in a dictionary
(3.3), including the principles governing their selection, ordering and arrangement
3.17
marker
notation used in lexicographic entries (3.12) to provide metadata (3.19) about a lexical unit (3.9)
Note 1 to entry: Markers can indicate grammatical information and usage labels (3.25,), helping users understand the
proper use of a lexical unit.
EXAMPLE : In the lexicographic entry for the lexical unit “run,”, one marker can indicate that it is a verb (e.g. v.), and
another marker can label the sense “to manage” (as in “run a business)”) as informal.
3.18
mediostructure
cross-reference structure
dictionary structure (3.4) comprising cross-references that link lexicographic entries (3.12) or their
lexicographic components (3.11) within the same dictionary (3.3)
Note 1 to entry: A mediostructure establishes navigational links inside a dictionary, for examplee.g. through references
such as “see”, “see also”,” or links.
3.19
metadata
data that provides information about other data related to any element of a lexicographic resource (3.13)
EXAMPLE Metadata may include the creation date of an entry, the source of a definition, the identifier of the
contributor, the timestamp of the last modification, or usage frequency.
3.20
microstructure
dictionary structure (3.4) that specifies the internal organization of the lexicographic components (3.11) within
a lexicographic entry (3.12)
Note 1 to entry: The microstructure specifies how the components of an entry are arranged, for examplee.g. definitions,
grammatical information, usage labels (3.25,), examples or cross-references.
3.21
natural language
language that is or was in active use in a community of people, and the rules of which are mainly deduced from
usage
[SOURCE: ISO 1087:2019, 3.1.7]
3.22
orthography
set of conventional rules governing the spelling and writing of lexical units (3.9) in a given language
[SOURCE: ISO 24613-1:2024, 3.10, modified – The term lexeme has been changed to lexical units.]
Note 1 to entry: Orthography may include rules for letter usage, word division, capitalization, hyphenation, accentuation
and punctuation.
[SOURCE: ISO 24613-1:2024, 3.10, modified — The term “lexeme” has been changed to “lexical units”.]
3.23
sense component
part of a lexicographic entry (3.12) that presents a distinct meaning of a lexical unit (3.9)
Note 1 to entry: A sense component typically includes a definition and may also contain examples, citations, usage labels
(3.25,), synonyms, or other data relevant to that specific meaning.
3.24
subentry
nested entry
grouping structure for related lexicographic entries (3.12) that share a common headword (3.7)
3.24 3.25
typographical convention
set of practices governing the visual presentation of lexicographic content as displayed or output
Note 1 to entry: These conventions encompass choices related to typography, such as font usage, font size, line spacing,
margins, paragraph styles, text alignment, punctuation, symbols and other text design characteristics.
3.25 3.26
usage label
marker (3.17) that indicates a restricted use of a lexical unit (3.9)
Note 1 to entry: Usage labels address different dimensions of linguistic variation, such as space, time, social group, and
situation (cf.see ISO 21636-1:2024).
Note 2 to entry: General and specialized dictionaries (3.3) employ a range of symbols and abbreviations as usage labels.
Example: EXAMPLE Labels indicating currency or period (e.g. arch. for archaic), formality or register (e.g.
inf. for informal), regionality or dialect (e.g. Am. for American, York. for Yorkshire), technicality or subject field (e.g. bot.
for botanical), and textuality or genre (e.g. poet. for poetic).
4 Overview of lexicographic components
Table 1 describes various lexicographic components typically found in lexicographic resources or annotation
schemes.
Annex A provides a consolidated overview of the components of a lexicographic entry described in this clause.
Table 1— Lexicographic components
Preferred Other Definition Further information Example
Inserted Cells
designatio designatio
n ns
antonym  cross-reference indicating cross-reference indicating low OPP high [Longman]
Inserted Cells
a lexical unit whose a lexical unit whose
desfavorable ANT.:
meaning is opposite or meaning is opposite or
favorable [DLE]
contrary to that of the contrary to that of the
lemma lemmaNOTE: This
component is generally
preceded by a delimiter
such as OPP [opposite],
ANT. [antonym],] or the
symbol “≠”.
attitude label  marker that indicates the nice of a (finished) action,
Inserted Cells
mood, positive or task, etc.: well-executed;
negative, which a speaker commendably performed
is wishing to convey via or accomplished. Now
the use of a given lexical frequently in
unit interjections, as nice
going!, nice try!, nice
work!. Also used ironically
or sarcastically. [OED]
oik /ɔɪk/ noun
[countable] British
English informal not polite
[Longman]
citation quote sense component that A citation should be porte-arquebuse Officier
references a specific followed by a chargé de porter
quotation
quote from written or bibliographic reference l'arquebuse (puis le fusil)
cited
spoken sources to (its source). du roi ou d'un grand
quotation
illustrate the occurrence seigneur, quand ils
of a lexical unit allaient à la chasse. Vous
n'avez pas ici votre bon
NOTE: A citation should
porte-arquebuse La
be followed by a
Hurière (DUMAS père,
bibliographic reference
Reine Margot, 1847, II,
(its source).
tabl. 5, 4, p. 70). [TLFi]
cross- lexicographic component The reference may be empire See also imperial
reference that provides a link or internal to a lexicographic (EMPIRE) [Cambridge]
reference to another resource or may point to
arthritis [.] SEE ALSO
component within a an external source.
osteoarthritis, rheumatoid
lexicographic resource
arthritis [Oxford
NOTE: The reference may Advanced Learner’s
be internal to a Dictionary]
lexicographic resource or
ozonosfera Tb.
may point to an external
ozonósfera, Am. 1. f.
source.
Preferred Other Definition Further information Example
Inserted Cells
designatio designatio
n ns
Meteor. capa de ozono.
[DLE]
dating  lexicographic component pill
indicating the date of the
Verb (1) 12th century, in
estimated first recorded
the meaning defined as
use of a lexical unit
intransitive sense
Noun 14th century, in the
meaning defined as sense
1a
Verb (2) 1736, in the
meaning defined as
transitive sense 1
[Merriam-Webster]
domain label field label marker which identifies RHÉT (for “rhétorique” in
the subject field of ALLITÉRATION [Petit
subject field
knowledge in which a Robert 2017]
label
lexical unit is mainly used
astronomy (for “”)“dark
topic label
star”) [Oxford Advanced
(deprecated
Learner’s Dictionary]
term)
etymology  lexicographic component This information can tuer milieu XIIe s.
which contains include etymons, roots, <> <> du latin populaire
information about the cognates, etc. tutare “éteindre” et “tuer”,
origin of a lexical unit and de tutari “protéger”, par
its historical development l’intermédiaire
d’expressions comme
NOTE: This information
tutari famen, sitim
can include etymons,
“calmer la faim, la soif”,
roots, cognates, etc.
donc “protéger, garantir
de la faim, la soif ” [Petit
Robert 2017]
example usage sense component that corriger […] corriger la
example includes a text string to vue de qqn par des verres
illustrate the occurrence de contact. [Petit Robert
of a lexical unit 2017]
punish Smacking is not an
acceptable way of
punishing a child
[Longman]
form lexical form orthographic or The lexical unit run may color noun (US English)
phonological realization appear in text in the forms (British English colour)
word form
of a lexical unit (3.9),, run, runs, ran or running. [Oxford Learner’s
typically resulting from Dictionaries]
inflection or other regular
morphological processes
NOTE: The lexical unit run
may appear in text in the
forms run, runs, ran or
running.
frequency  marker which identifies (also less frequent flyer)
label the relative rate of (for “”)“flying start”)
Preferred Other Definition Further information Example
Inserted Cells
designatio designatio
n ns
occurrence of a lexical [Oxford Advanced
unit in a given context Learner’s
Dictionary]
geographic regional marker which identifies marker which identifies RÉGION. (Sud-Ouest;
Inserted Cells
label label the place or region where the place or region where Canada) (for
a lexical unit is mainly a lexical unit is mainly “chocolatine”) [Petit
used used Robert 2017]
NOTE: Some dictionaries vacation US (UK holiday)
do not identify a specific [Cambridge Dictionary]
place but identify that the
plonker British English
lexical unit is not used
informal not polite
generally in every
[Longman]
geographic area.
gender  grammatical feature of Elefant m.
Inserted Cells
nouns and of the lexical or
Ladung f.
inflectional elements that
Eis n.
agree with them, used in
[Langenscheidt
many languages to
Taschenwörterbuch]
classify nouns into
(Deutsch als
categories such as
Fremdsprache)
masculine, feminine,
neuter or other noun
classes
gloss  any descriptive or Glosses can include short elucidation [i.lu:si'deiʃən]
explanatory note within a comments, remarks. N (of text) Erklärung f; (of
lexicographic entry issue, situation) Erhellung
f; (of point) nähere
Note: Glosses can include
Ausführung; (of mystery)
short comments, remarks.
Aufklärung f, Aufhellung f
[Collins]
headword entry word lexicographic component astrónomo, ma [DLE]
(deprecated/ that identifies the lexical
obsolete unit treated in a
term) lexicographic entry and
serves as its main access
point
inflected  modified form of a base or make (meɪk) Word forms:
form root of the headword that makes, making, made
conveys specific [Collins]
grammatical information,
such as tense, number,
gender, case, mood, etc.
lexicographic definition sense component that boxeo m Deporte en que
definition describes the meaning of dos luchadores se golpean
a lexical unit by con los puños utilizando
referencing a generic term guantes especiales. [DEA]
(genus proximum) and at
least one distinguishing
characteristic (differentia
specifica)
Preferred Other Definition Further information Example
Inserted Cells
designatio designatio
n ns
meaning  marker which identifies a PRINTEMPS Fig. Temps
type label semantic extension of the de la jeunesse. [DAF]
sense of a given lexical
unit
[grammatical grammatical feature that ŒIL [œj], plur. YEUX [jø]
] number indicates the quantity or [Petit Robert 2017]
grammatical plurality,
duality and singularity
of/within a morphological
variant of a lexical unit
normativity  marker which identifies círculo […] [uso indevido
label the use of a given lexical mas generalizado]
unit which is in some GEOMETRIA
aspect considered to be circunferência [Infopédia]
non-standard or incorrect
note  auxiliary information escolasticídio […] Palavra
supplementing a cunhada por Kelma
lexicographic component Nabulsi, jurista palestina e
to clarify, qualify or académica de Oxford, em
contextualize its content 2009. [DLP]
part of lexical lexicographic component lexicographic component PÉRÉGRINATION nom
Inserted Cells
speech category assigned to a lemma assigned to a lemma féminin [DAF]
based on its morpho- based on its morpho-
word class
syntactic properties syntactic properties
NOTE: In some
dictionaries, gender,
number, and transitivity
are —, among others —,
considered part of speech
elements.
[SOURCE:See ISO 24613-
1:2024].
pronunciatio lexicographic component lexicographic component ventura [vẽˈtu
...