word
Morpheme
MOR-feem
/ˈmɔːrfiːm/Listen
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Syllable breakdown
morpheme
Dictionary meaning
The smallest meaningful unit of language that cannot be divided further without losing its meaning; includes free morphemes (which can stand alone as words, e.g., 'book') and bound morphemes (which must be attached to other morphemes, e.g., the plural '-s' or the prefix 'un-').
Examples
- The word 'unhappiness' contains three morphemes: 'un-', 'happy', and '-ness'.
- Understanding morphemes helps language learners decode unfamiliar words.
Synonyms: minimal meaningful unit
Common mispronunciations
Confused with phoneme; a morpheme is about meaning, a phoneme is about sound
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