Question

Match the description to the word.

Answer 1

1) morpheme

2) synonym

3) OED

4) prefix

5) antonym

6) etymology

7) root

8) suffix

Answer 2

Answer: The descriptions that match to the words are:

1. the smallest unit of meaning of a word ----> morpheme

2. a word with a meaning that is the same as another word's meaning ---> synonym

3. an unabridged dictionary ----> OED

4. a unit of meaning attached to the beginning of a word ----> prefix

5. a word with a meaning that is opposite the meaning of another word ---> antonym

6. the history of a word ---> etymology

7. the base part of a meaning for a word ----> root

8. a unit of meaning attached to the end of a word ---> suffix

Explanation: Roots, suffixes and prefixes are all used to form words. Moreover, all of them have an etymology, that is to say all of them have an origin. Moreover, the meanings of some roots, suffixes and prefixes have also changed throughout history. The etymology of words are generally presented in dictionaries. One famous dictionary is the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) because it is complete. In other words, it includes a lot of words; however, it is important to distinguish words from morphemes since morphemes are the smallest meaningful units of language but they may or may not stand alone. Dictionaries may also include synonyms, words that have similar meanings (such as pretty and beautiful), and antonyms, words that have opposite meanings (such as black and white).