empty word


noun
  1. (especially in Chinese grammar) a word or morpheme that has no lexical meaning and that functions as a grammatical link or marker, rather than as a contentive.

Origin of empty word

1
First recorded in 1890–95

Words Nearby empty word

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use empty word in a sentence