diff --git a/src/language/compiling/semantics/keyword-handlers/lookup-handler.ts b/src/language/compiling/semantics/keyword-handlers/lookup-handler.ts
index a04d733..0c37b07 100644
--- a/src/language/compiling/semantics/keyword-handlers/lookup-handler.ts
+++ b/src/language/compiling/semantics/keyword-handlers/lookup-handler.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import type {
   ElaborationError,
   InvalidExpressionError,
 } from '../../../errors.js'
+import type { Molecule } from '../../../parsing.js'
 import {
   applyKeyPathToSemanticGraph,
   isObjectNode,
@@ -27,7 +28,7 @@ export const lookupKeywordHandler: KeywordHandler = (
   context: ExpressionContext,
 ): Either<ElaborationError, SemanticGraph> =>
   either.flatMap(readLookupExpression(expression), ({ query }) =>
-    either.flatMap(keyPathFromObjectNode(query), relativePath => {
+    either.flatMap(keyPathFromObject(query), relativePath => {
       if (isObjectNode(context.program)) {
         return either.flatMap(
           lookup({
@@ -55,8 +56,8 @@ export const lookupKeywordHandler: KeywordHandler = (
     }),
   )
 
-const keyPathFromObjectNode = (
-  node: ObjectNode,
+const keyPathFromObject = (
+  node: ObjectNode | Molecule,
 ): Either<InvalidExpressionError, KeyPath> => {
   const relativePath: string[] = []
   let queryIndex = 0
diff --git a/src/language/semantics/expressions/lookup-expression.ts b/src/language/semantics/expressions/lookup-expression.ts
index a2801b7..a01af48 100644
--- a/src/language/semantics/expressions/lookup-expression.ts
+++ b/src/language/semantics/expressions/lookup-expression.ts
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ import {
 
 export type LookupExpression = ObjectNode & {
   readonly 0: '@lookup'
-  readonly query: ObjectNode
+  readonly query: ObjectNode | Molecule
 }
 
 export const readLookupExpression = (
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ export const readLookupExpression = (
       })
 
 export const makeLookupExpression = (
-  query: ObjectNode,
+  query: ObjectNode | Molecule,
 ): LookupExpression & { readonly [unelaboratedKey]: true } =>
   makeUnelaboratedObjectNode({
     0: '@lookup',
diff --git a/src/language/semantics/prelude.ts b/src/language/semantics/prelude.ts
index deb697d..7251f09 100644
--- a/src/language/semantics/prelude.ts
+++ b/src/language/semantics/prelude.ts
@@ -2,13 +2,13 @@ import either, { type Either } from '@matt.kantor/either'
 import option from '@matt.kantor/option'
 import type { DependencyUnavailable, Panic } from '../errors.js'
 import type { Atom } from '../parsing.js'
+import { makeApplyExpression, makeLookupExpression } from '../semantics.js'
 import { isFunctionNode, makeFunctionNode } from './function-node.js'
 import { keyPathToMolecule, type KeyPath } from './key-path.js'
 import {
   isObjectNode,
   lookupPropertyOfObjectNode,
   makeObjectNode,
-  makeUnelaboratedObjectNode,
   type ObjectNode,
 } from './object-node.js'
 import {
@@ -47,9 +47,8 @@ const handleUnavailableDependencies =
 const serializePartiallyAppliedFunction =
   (keyPath: KeyPath, argument: SemanticGraph) => () =>
     either.makeRight(
-      makeUnelaboratedObjectNode({
-        0: '@apply',
-        function: { 0: '@lookup', query: keyPathToMolecule(keyPath) },
+      makeApplyExpression({
+        function: makeLookupExpression(keyPathToMolecule(keyPath)),
         argument,
       }),
     )
@@ -63,13 +62,7 @@ const preludeFunction = (
 ) =>
   makeFunctionNode(
     signature,
-    () =>
-      either.makeRight(
-        makeUnelaboratedObjectNode({
-          0: '@lookup',
-          query: keyPathToMolecule(keyPath),
-        }),
-      ),
+    () => either.makeRight(makeLookupExpression(keyPathToMolecule(keyPath))),
     option.none,
     handleUnavailableDependencies(f),
   )