Alapszava

Alapszava is a linguistic term used to refer to the base form of a word from which other related forms are derived. In many discussions it corresponds to the lemma, the canonical dictionary form that carries the core meaning of the word. The alapszava serves as the anchor for inflection and derivation, and in simple cases it is equivalent to the word’s basic form used in everyday language.

A related concept is the root (gyök), which is the smallest meaningful unit. The alapszava may be a simple word or a base that already includes certain morphological material that can take further affixes. In Hungarian morphology, affixes attach to alapszavak to create plural forms, cases, possessives, and other inflected or derived words. For example, the alapszava "ház" (house) can yield forms such as "házak" (houses) or "házban" (in the house) through inflection.

In education and lexicography, identifying alapszavak helps learners understand word formation, spelling, and vocabulary building. Dictionaries typically list lemmas that function as alapszavak for the various inflected or derived forms found in language use. The concept thus supports both practical language learning and theoretical analysis of morphology.