morpheme
nounUK /ˈmɔː.fiːm/
US /ˈmɔːr.fiːm/
A morpheme is the smallest part of a word that has meaning.
In the word "cats," the "s" is a morpheme that means more than one.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A unit of language that cannot be divided into smaller meaningful parts.
The word "unhappy" has two morphemes: "un" and "happy."
3. A basic element of meaning studied in linguistics.
Linguists count morphemes to understand how words are built.
4. A free morpheme can stand alone as a word, like "book."
"Book" is a free morpheme because it works as a word by itself.