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Morpheme Meaning: Definition, Examples, and Translations

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morpheme

[ˈmɔːf.iːm ]

Definitions

Context #1 | Noun

linguistic unit

A morpheme is the smallest grammatical unit in a language that carries meaning. It cannot be divided into smaller meaningful parts without losing its sense. Morphemes can be roots, prefixes, and suffixes. They are the building blocks of words, and understanding them is crucial in linguistic analysis.

Synonyms

grammatical unit, linguistic unit, morphological unit.

Which Synonym Should You Choose?

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Word Description / Examples
morpheme

Use in linguistic discussions when referring to the smallest meaningful unit in a language.

  • The word 'unhappiness' contains three morphemes: 'un-', 'happi', and '-ness'.
linguistic unit

Broadly applies to any basic element of language, useful in general linguistic studies or discussions.

  • A phoneme is considered a linguistic unit in the study of phonetics.
grammatical unit

Appropriate in conversations about elements of grammar, often in educational or academic settings.

  • In the sentence 'She is going to school,' 'is going' is a grammatical unit.
morphological unit

Use in morphological analysis, particularly when focusing on the structure and formation of words.

  • Prefix, suffix, and roots are types of morphological units.

Examples of usage

  • The word 'unhappiness' consists of three morphemes: 'un-', 'happy', and '-ness'.
  • In the word 'unhappiest', 'un-', 'happy', '-est' are all morphemes.
Context #2 | Noun

linguistics

In linguistics, a morpheme is the smallest unit of language that carries meaning. It is the basic unit of morphology, the study of word structure. Morphemes can be free or bound, and they play a crucial role in understanding how words are formed and the relationships between them.

Examples of usage

  • The word 'cats' consists of two morphemes: 'cat' (the root) and '-s' (the plural marker).
  • The morpheme 'un-' in 'unhappy' indicates negation.

Translations

To see the translation, please select a language from the options available.

Origin of 'morpheme'

The term 'morpheme' was coined by linguist Leonard Bloomfield in the 1930s. It is derived from the Greek word 'morphe', meaning form. The concept of morphemes has been central to linguistic theory and has greatly contributed to our understanding of how language functions and is structured.

See also: geomorphology, metamorphosis, morph, morphing, morphology, polymorphic.

Word Frequency Rank

Positioned at #22,185, this word is part of extensive vocabulary. It's relatively rare in general usage but may be important in specific fields or formal writing.