Root (linguistics)
indivisible part of word that does not have any affix, may have a meaning and be usable alone or not, and may comprise multiple "radical" forms
The root in language is either a base word, or a part of a word to which affixes are added. Or, it is the part left after affixes have been taken away. Technically, it is the smallest unit which carries meaning: it cannot be reduced into smaller units. It is the same as a free-standing morpheme.
If a root is a whole word, then it is called a base word. It is the word which stands at the head of a dictionary definition, is the base of a word family.
Examples: in each case in bold
- Unhelpfully
- reaction
- receive
- science. This one is interesting because it is so ancient. It is a descendent of the Indo-European root scei, meaning to cut or split. It comes to us via the Latin language.[1]
References
change- ↑ McArthur, Tom 1992. The Oxford companion to the English language. Oxford Unniversity Press, 876.