In language, a word is the smallest element that may be uttered in isolation with semantic or pragmatic content (with literal or practical meaning). This contrasts with a morpheme, which is the smallest unit of meaning but will not necessarily stand on its own. A word may consist of a single morpheme (for example: oh!, rock, red, quick, run, expect), or several (rocks, redness, quickly, running, unexpected), whereas a morpheme may not be able to stand on its own as a word (in the words just mentioned, these are -s, -ness, -ly, -ing, un-, -ed). A complex word will typically include a root and one or more affixes (rock-s, red-ness, quick-ly, run-ning, un-expect-ed), or more than one root in a compound (black-board, rat-race). Words can be put together to build larger elements of language, such as phrases (a red rock), clauses (I threw a rock), and sentences (He threw a rock too but he missed).
Words are merely Symbols which represents the intended meaning behined, which can be known from the context. The term word may refer to a spoken word or to a written word, or sometimes to the abstract concept behind either. Spoken words are made up of units of sound called phonemes, and written words of symbols called graphemes, such as the letters of the English alphabet.
Read more about Word: Definitions, Morphology, Philosophy, Classes
Other articles related to "words">word":
... The word came to be extended to refer to any means used to ease or speed travel hence such meanings as "vehicle", "carriage", "vessel", "wagon", "ship", and so on, depending on ... "Vehicle" is often used as a preferred translation as the word that provides the least in the way of presuppositions about the mode of travel ... In spiritual uses, the word yāna acquires many metaphorical meanings, discussed below ...
... and reset BTS Bit test and set CDQ Convert double-word to quad-word Sign-extends EAX into EDX, forming the quad-word EDXEAX ... CMPSD Compare string double-word Compares ES with DS CWDE Convert word to double-word Unlike CWD, CWDE sign-extends AX to EAX instead of AX to DXAX INSD Input from ... LFS, LGS Load far pointer LSS Load stack segment LODSD Load string double-word can be prefixed with REP LOOPW, LOOPccW Loop, conditional loop Same as LOOP, LOOPcc for earlier processors LOOPD, LOOPccD Loop while ...
... A source word can be transliterated by first identifying all the applicable prefix and suffix segments based on the letters in the source word ... A partial transliteration will also include some unmapped letters of the source word, namely those letters between the end of the prefix and the beginning of the suffix ... than one segment mapping applies to a particular combination of characters in the source word ...
... The word derives from the Greek word κάλαμος, meaning reed ... In modern Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Kurdish, the word simply means "pen" or "pencil", while in Hindi and Urdu, the word solely means "pen" ...
... The compound word ekename, literally meaning "additional name", was attested as early as 1303 ... This word was derived from the Old English phrase eaca "an increase", related to eacian "to increase" ... Though the spelling has changed, the pronunciation and meaning of the word have remained relatively stable ever since ...
Famous quotes containing the word word:
“I am a dreamer of words, of written words. I think I am reading; a word stops me. I leave the page. The syllables of the word begin to move around. Stressed accents begin to invert. The word abandons its meaning like an overload which is too heavy and prevents dreaming. Then words take on other meanings as if they had the right to be young. And the words wander away, looking in the nooks and crannies of vocabulary for new company, bad company.”
—Gaston Bachelard (1884–1962)
“And the friend not hesitates
To assign just place and mates;
Answers not in word or letter,
Yet is understood the better;
Is to his friend a looking-glass,
Reflects his figure that doth pass.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“I cannot halt
The tread, the beat of it, it is my own heart,
The walls of my room rise, it is still night,
I have woken again before the word was spelt.”
—Philip Larkin (1922–1986)