Which of the following describes the relationship between a morpheme and a word?

The relationship between a morpheme and a word is best described by the idea that a morpheme can be part of a larger word. Morphemes are the smallest units of meaning in a language, and they can exist as standalone words or as components of multi-morpheme words. For example, the word “unhappiness” contains three morphemes: “un-,” which indicates negation; “happy,” which conveys the central meaning; and “-ness,” which turns the adjective into a noun.

This illustrates that while some morphemes can function as complete words on their own (like “cat” or “run”), others serve as building blocks that combine with other morphemes to create more complex words. Therefore, recognizing that a morpheme can be part of a larger word captures the dynamic nature of language construction.