allomorph
/ˈæl.ə.mɔrf/
noun
- One of two or more different forms of a morpheme (the smallest unit of meaning in a language).
- The plural '-s' in English has allomorphs like /s/, /z/, and /ɪz/.
- Linguists study allomorphs to understand how sounds change in different word contexts.
- The past tense morpheme '-ed' has allomorphs such as /t/, /d/, and /ɪd/.
Synonyms