Word: The Smallest Independent Unit of Language—Morphemes, Parts of Speech, and Functions

A word is the smallest free linguistic unit that can stand alone with meaning. It comprises one or more morphemes (minimal meaning-bearing units). Words function as:

• Nouns (entities)
• Verbs (actions/states)
• Adjectives (qualities)
• Adverbs (modifiers)
• Function words (prepositions, conjunctions, determiners, pronouns)

Words may be monosyllabic or polysyllabic. They combine into phrases, clauses, and sentences to convey propositions. In writing, words are separated by spaces; in speech, by pauses and prosody. Sign languages have manual equivalents.