Free Morpheme (Noun)
Meaning
A morpheme that can occur alone.
Classification
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents.
Examples
- A single word like "run" can be a free morpheme because it has meaning on its own.
- In the word "explainable", "explain" is a free morpheme that carries the core meaning of the word.
- The word "happy" consists of two morphemes, but "happy" itself is a free morpheme because it can stand alone.
- Unlike "unhappiness", where "happiness" is a bound morpheme, the word "happiness" itself can be a free morpheme in a sentence like "She feels happiness".
- In English, "tree" is an example of a free morpheme because it can occur as a separate word with its own meaning.