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glosseme

[ glos-eem, glaw-seem ]
/ ˈglɒs im, ˈglɔ sim /
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noun Linguistics.
(in glossematics) an irreducible, invariant form, as a morpheme or tagmeme, that functions as the smallest meaningful unit of linguistic signaling.
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Origin of glosseme

First recorded in 1925–30; gloss(o)- + -eme

OTHER WORDS FROM glosseme

glos·se·mic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for glosseme

glosseme
/ (ˈɡlɒsiːm) /

noun
the smallest meaningful unit of a language, such as stress, form, etc

Word Origin for glosseme

C20: from Greek glōssēma; see gloss ², -eme
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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