Menu

Root Word for Dummies

noun

What does Root Word really mean?

55 1
55

Hey there! Let's talk about the term "Root Word." I'm here to help you understand it in the simplest way possible.

So, imagine you have a big tree standing tall with several branches and leaves. Well, the "Root Word" is like the main foundation or the very first part of that tree. It's like the root system that supports and holds the tree up strong.

The same way, a "Root Word" is the main part of a word from which other words are formed. It's like the building block of words, just like the tree's roots are the foundation of the whole tree. Cool, right?

Basically, when you see a word and you break it down to its simplest form, you'll find the "Root Word" that carries the main meaning. It's the core of the word, like the trunk of the tree.

For example, let's take the word "happiness." The root word here is "happy." See how it's the main part that gives that word its meaning? Without the root word "happy," we wouldn't have the word "happiness."

Now, remember, not all words have only one root word. Sometimes, a word can have multiple root words that come from different languages or have different meanings.

For instance, the word "transportation" has two root words, "trans" and "port." The first one means "across" or "over" while the second one means "carry" or "to move." So when we combine both root words, we get the meaning of "transportation" as "to carry or move across."

So, my friend, a "Root Word" is like the essential part that gives a word its core meaning. Understanding root words can help you figure out what unfamiliar words mean, just like knowing the tree's roots helps you understand the strength and growth of the whole tree.

Hope that clears it up for you! If you have any more questions, just let me know. I'm here to help! Keep up the great work!


Revised and Fact checked by Mary Johnson on 2023-10-29 18:08:44

Root Word In a sentece

Learn how to use Root Word inside a sentece

  • When we add the letter 's' to the root word 'cat', it becomes 'cats'.
  • If we take the root word 'happi' and add the letter 'ness' to the end, we get the word 'happiness'.
  • By adding the prefix 'un-' to the root word 'happy', we can change it to 'unhappy' which means not happy.
  • When we combine the root word 'book' with the suffix '-s', it becomes 'books' which means more than one book.
  • If we remove the suffix '-ing' from the word 'running', we are left with the root word 'run'.

Root Word Synonyms

Words that can be interchanged for the original word in the same context.

base radical root stem theme

Root Word Hypernyms

Words that are more generic than the original word.

descriptor form signifier word form

Root Word Category

The domain category to which the original word belongs.

linguistics