Glossary of Linguistic Terms

Root

Definition: 

A root is the portion of a word that

  • is common to a set of derived or inflected forms, if any, when all affixes are removed
  • is not further analyzable into meaningful elements, being morphologically simple, and
  • carries the principle portion of meaning of the words in which it functions.
Discussion: 

If a root does not occur by itself in a meaningful way in a language, it is referred to as a bound morpheme.

Examples: 
  • Disestablish
  • Establishment
  • Establishments

Glossary Hierarchy