Language · 2
What is the term for the smallest unit of meaning in a language?
Answer
Morpheme
A morpheme is the smallest unit of language that carries meaning, including roots, prefixes, suffixes, and standalone words. The word 'unbelievable' contains three morphemes: 'un-' (negation prefix), 'believe' (root), and '-able' (adjective-forming suffix). Understanding morphemes is fundamental to vocabulary development, spelling, and comprehending how languages build complex meanings from simple units.
💡 Did you know?
The word 'unbelievable' has three morphemes: 'un-' + 'believe' + '-able,' each contributing meaning.
Other options people guess
- Phoneme
- Grapheme
- Lexeme
Topics
- linguistics
- morphology
- word structure
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