Each lemma in the vocabulary summarizes all the forms belonging to this lemma, including information about frequency in text (.x), notes(.n) en marginal notes (.m) (line 1), Statenbijbel (line 2) and the corresponding Latin terms in the Ethics, if traceable (line 3). Lemmas are ordened under lexical fields by their 'related concepts' (line 4). The 'Gestalt' consisting of these conceptual fields will not be explicated, but is considered the semantic structure underlying the text and its production by the 'translator'. Basing on the KV loci the signification of each lemma will be established, mainly distinguishing between ordinary and technical use of the lemma as part of the philosophical terminology of the translator (line 5). The relation between the concepts, derived from the corresponding froms in E and TIE and the use of the forms by the KV translator shows how the translator adapted 17th century standard Dutch to the philosophical content he had to express in his translation.

Or, as Spinoza puts it himself:

"Hæc nomina ex communi usu aliud significare scio. Sed meum institutum non est, verborum significationem, sed rerum naturam explicare, easque iis vocabulis indicare, quorum significatio, quam ex usu habent, a significatione, qua eadem usurpare volo, non omnino abhorret, quod semel monuisse sufficiat..."(3affdef20e)

"... sed affectuum nomina (ut iam monui) magis eorum usum, quam naturam respiciunt." (3affdef31e)

"... atque adeo plures affectus deducere poterimus, quam qui receptis vocabulis indicari solent. Unde apparet, affectuum nomina inventa esse magis ex eorum vulgari usu, quam ex eorundem accurata cognitione." (3,52s)

Main subjects

The terms under the main subjects function as categories of the lexical fields to be analysed. They represent the concepts expressed by the lemmata of these lexical fields in a general way. An analysis of all the occurances of these lemmata will show the particular semantic essence of each lemma comprised in that specific lexical field.