morpheme

[ mawr-feem ]

noun

, Linguistics.

1. any of the minimal grammatical units of a language, each constituting a word or meaningful part of a word, that cannot be divided into smaller independent grammatical parts, as the, write, or the -ed of waited. Compare allomorph ( def 2 ), morph ( def 1 ).

morpheme

/ ˈmɔːfiːm /

noun

1. linguistics a speech element having a meaning or grammatical function that cannot be subdivided into further such elements

Derived Forms

• morˈphemically, adverb
• morˈphemic, adjective

Other Words From

• mor·phemic adjective
• mor·phemi·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of morpheme¹

1895–1900; < French morphème; morph-, -eme

Word History and Origins

Origin of morpheme¹

C20: from French, from Greek morphē form, coined on the model of phoneme ; see -eme

Related Words

• concept
• expression
• name
• phrase
• sound
• term