bound morpheme

noun

A morpheme that can only occur when bound to a root morpheme. For example: cran- (as in cranberry), -ed, -ing, -ly.

Similar
bound form
Opposite
free morpheme
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Meanings

nounbound morpheme (plural bound morphemes)

plural bound morphemes

  1. human sciencesA morpheme that can only occur when bound to a root morpheme. For example: cran- (as in cranberry), -ed, -ing, -ly.

Synonyms & antonyms

Opposite
free morpheme

nouna morpheme that occurs only as part of a larger construction; e.g. an ‘-s’ at the end of plural nouns

Similar
bound form
Broader
morpheme
Also see
bound form

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 粘著語素 /粘著语素, 黏著詞素 /黏著词素
  • 粘著語素 /粘著语素 (niánzhuó yǔsù)type of morpheme
  • 黏著詞素 /黏著词素 (niánzhuó císù)type of morpheme
  • 附著詞素 /附著词素 (fùzhuó císù)type of morpheme
Finnish sidonnainen morfeemi
  • sidonnainen morfeemitype of morpheme
French morphème lié
  • morphème liétype of morpheme
German gebundenes Morphem
  • gebundenes Morphemtype of morpheme
Japanese 拘束形態素, 束縛形態素
  • 拘束形態素 (kōsoku keitaiso)type of morpheme
  • 束縛形態素 (sokubaku keitaiso)type of morpheme
Polish morfem gramatyczny
  • morfem gramatycznytype of morpheme
Vietnamese hình vị ràng buộc
  • hình vị ràng buộctype of morpheme
Cite this entry
APA

bound morpheme. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bound%20morpheme

MLA

“bound morpheme.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bound%20morpheme. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bound morpheme,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bound%20morpheme.

Source: bound morpheme on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.