Juursõnast

Juursõnast is a linguistic term used to describe the root word or the underlying base form from which other grammatical forms and related words are derived. It represents the core semantic unit of a word and serves as the foundation for inflection, derivation, and word formation. In lexicography and language description, the juursõna helps to distinguish the essential meaning-bearing part of a word from the affixes that modify it.

The relationship between juursõna and the dictionary lemma can vary. In many cases they coincide, as the headword of a dictionary entry often corresponds to the most basic form of a word. However, in some languages and for some words, the juursõna may be more abstract or differ slightly from the lemma, especially when irregular inflection or historical changes affect the canonical citation form. The important point is that the juursõna is the form from which other forms are systematically built.

Morphologically, a juursõnast may consist of a single morpheme or multiple morphemes that together carry the core lexical meaning. Affixes such as endings, prefixes, or derivational morphemes attach to the juursõna to create new words or new grammatical forms. Identifying the juursõna is a common step in linguistic analysis, dictionary compilation, and language teaching, as it clarifies the structure and formation patterns of words.

In practice, juursõnast is used in lexicography, computational linguistics, and advanced language studies to discuss how words relate to each other through their core meaning. See also juur, tüvi, and sõna for related concepts in Estonian linguistics.