Simply speaking, the lexicographical order is the order in which words are listed in a dictionary. As a more formal definition, here is the algorithm to determine the lexicographical order between different strings $S$ and $T$.

Below, let $S_i$ denote the $i$-th character of $S$. Also, if $S$ is lexicographically smaller than $T$, we will denote that fact as $S \lt T$; if $S$ is lexicographically larger than $T$, we will denote that fact as $S \gt T$.

1. Let $L$ be the smaller of the lengths of $S$ and $T$. For each $i=1,2,\dots,L$, we check whether $S_i$ and $T_i$ are the same.
2. If there is an $i$ such that $S_i \neq T_i$, let $j$ be the smallest such $i$. Then, we compare $S_j$ and $T_j$. If $S_j$ comes earlier than $T_j$ in alphabetical order, we determine that $S \lt T$ and quit; if $S_j$ comes later than $T_j$, we determine that $S \gt T$ and quit.
3. If there is no $i$ such that $S_i \neq T_i$, we compare the lengths of $S$ and $T$. If $S$ is shorter than $T$, we determine that $S \lt T$ and quit; if $S$ is longer than $T$, we determine that $S \gt T$ and quit.