noun
- The plural of lexeme; the smallest units of language that carry meaning, such as words or word roots that can stand alone or combine with other elements.
Usage: linguistics; technical term
Examples
- In linguistics, lexemes are the basic building blocks of vocabulary.
- The word 'run' and its forms 'runs,' 'running,' and 'ran' are all considered different forms of the same lexeme.
- Dictionaries typically list lexemes rather than every inflected form of a word.
- Understanding lexemes helps students learn how languages organize meaning.
- The lexemes in a language change over time as new words are adopted and old ones fall out of use.