ศัพท์

Explanation

ศัพท์ treats words as items whose meanings are learned, explained, or classified. Depending on context, it can refer to one word or to vocabulary as a collection. The expanded form คำศัพท์ is extremely common and often clearer in everyday use. ศัพท์ also appears by itself in expressions about vocabulary learning and readily combines with a language or subject area, as in ศัพท์ภาษาอังกฤษ “English vocabulary” and ศัพท์ทางการแพทย์ “medical terminology.” Individual words are counted with คำ, not ศัพท์: ศัพท์ห้าคำ means “five vocabulary words.”

Usage

Common in language study, dictionaries, and classroom explanations when discussing words to learn or define. It is also used in academic and professional contexts to label terminology in fields such as medicine, law, and technology.

Caution

ศัพท์ does not cover every sense of “word.” When referring to what someone said, คำพูด is usually more natural. Also, ศัพท์ภาษาอังกฤษ may mean either English words generally or English vocabulary, depending on context.

1 word synonyms

• คำ

  kham word

  คำ is the general everyday word for a word or piece of language. ศัพท์ more often presents words as vocabulary items to be learned, defined, or classified.

• คำศัพท์

  khamsàp vocabulary

  คำศัพท์ is the common, explicit form for “word” or “vocabulary.” ศัพท์ can carry the same meaning but is more compact and frequently appears in compounds and learning-related expressions.

2 term synonyms

• คำเฉพาะ

  คำเฉพาะ broadly describes a word restricted to a particular meaning or use. ศัพท์ is especially natural when identifying terms or terminology belonging to a field.