rootwords

Root words, or roots, are the core morphemes from which related words are formed. In linguistic morphology, a root is the smallest unit of meaning that cannot be reduced further by combining with other meaningful parts; affixes and other derivational processes attach to a root to create new words. In many descriptions, a root may not always stand alone as a word in a given language. The root is often distinguished from the stem: a stem is the form that receives affixes, and a root may be part of a stem or the entire stem.

English examples help illustrate the concept. The root act yields actor, action, active; the root write yields writer, rewrite, writing; the root happy yields happiness and unhappy. Some roots are fossilized and appear in many derivatives; others are productive with a wide range of affixes.

Cross-linguistic notes show variation in root-based morphology. Root-based systems vary by language type. In many Semitic languages, roots consist of a small set of consonants that convey core meaning, while vowel patterns and affixes generate related words. In contrast, many Indo-European languages use roots that are already recognizable words or morphemes, with a variety of affixes.

Etymology: the term comes from Latin radix, meaning root. See also morpheme, stem, affix, derivation, inflection.