A morpheme can be defined as what?

A morpheme is defined as a meaningful morphological unit of a language. Morphology is the study of how words are formed and structured, and morphemes are the smallest units of meaning within that study. They can be entire words, but they can also include prefixes, suffixes, and roots that convey specific meanings. For example, in the word "unhappiness," there are three morphemes: "un-" (a prefix meaning "not"), "happy" (a root word), and "-ness" (a suffix that turns an adjective into a noun, indicating a state of being). Each morpheme contributes to the overall meaning of a word, illustrating the concept of how language is built from smaller parts that hold meaning.

Understanding morphemes is crucial for analyzing language and can aid in vocabulary development and comprehension when teaching students in an elementary education setting.