What is a free morpheme?

A free morpheme is a basic linguistic unit that has meaning and can function independently as a word. This means that it does not need to be attached to other morphemes to convey an idea; it can stand alone and still be understood. Examples of free morphemes include words like "book," "run," and "happy," each of which can be used without needing additional morphemes to provide meaning.

In contrast, other options describe different concepts. A morpheme that cannot stand alone is known as a bound morpheme, which must be attached to a free morpheme to convey meaning, such as prefixes or suffixes. A morpheme that consists of two or more words does not fit into the definition of a morpheme because morphemes are single units of meaning, not combinations of words. Lastly, stating that a morpheme is always a noun is inaccurate, as morphemes can represent verbs, adjectives, and other parts of speech. The key characteristic of a free morpheme is its ability to exist independently as a meaningful word.