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potential lexicon

MORPHOLOGY: a term used for the unbounded list of potential words, where 'potential word' is defined as any word form that can be generated by the word formation rules of a language. Hence, the potential lexicon contains the actual or attested words plus the potential, but not attested words. EXAMPLE: in English, the potential lexicon contains actual words such as approve, approval, recite, recital, derive, and describe, and the potential words *derival and *describal.