词(cí) - word, term; lyrics in Mandarin

词 (cí) is a word in the linguistic sense: a meaningful unit, which in Chinese is usually one or two characters. Its measure word is 个, and it is the building block of 词典 (dictionary), 生词 (new vocabulary), 名词 (noun), 动词 (verb) and 词汇 (vocabulary).

The second common sense is lyrics: the words of a song, as opposed to 曲, the tune. A songwriting credit reads 作词 for the lyricist and 作曲 for the composer.

The distinction English speakers need is 词 against 字. 字 is a written character, 词 is a word, and they often do not line up. 电脑 is two 字 but one 词. When you ask what does this mean about a piece of vocabulary, 这个词是什么意思 is the right question; 这个字 asks about a single character.