Question for the Lexies

[Joanne M. Despres]

t's possible that the entries are included on the basis of their
containing definitions other than the literal ones -- that is,
"secondary" senses that for the most part probably have little to do
with the countries bearing the names of the entry-word.  Such a
policy of inclusion might obtain in the case of a dictionary like
Webster's Third New International, which was designed as a
lexicon of generic words -- i.e., one that systematically excluded
"proper nouns," such as the names of people and places.

Joanne Despres
Merriam-Webster