Morphology and Etymology Flashcards

Which Latin root meaning 'to carry' is found in the word 'portable'?

Answer: portare

The Latin root 'portare' means 'to carry' and is the base of words like portable, transport, and export.

In morphological analysis, what is the term for a bound morpheme that changes the grammatical category of a base word?

Answer: Derivational morpheme

Derivational morphemes change the grammatical category or meaning of a word, such as adding '-ness' to turn an adjective into a noun.

The prefix 'bene-' in words like 'benefit' and 'benevolent' originates from which language?

Answer: Latin

The prefix 'bene-' comes from Latin and means 'well' or 'good,' as seen in benefactor and benign.

A student reads 'unhappiness' and identifies three morphemes. Which breakdown is correct?

Answer: un- / happy / -ness

Correct segmentation is un- (prefix) + happy (base) + -ness (suffix), showing three distinct morphemes.

Which Greek root meaning 'light' appears in the word 'photograph'?

Answer: photo

The Greek root 'photo' means light, making 'photograph' literally 'writing with light.'

What is the morphological structure of the word 'teachers'?

Answer: Three morphemes: teach + -er + -s

Teachers contains three morphemes: the base 'teach,' the agentive suffix '-er,' and the plural inflection '-s.'

The word 'telephone' combines two Greek roots. Which pair correctly identifies them?

Answer: tele (far) + phone (sound)

Telephone combines 'tele' (far/distant) and 'phone' (sound/voice), literally meaning 'far sound.'