seme
/siːm/
noun
- A basic unit of meaning in a language; a minimal semantic feature.
- In linguistics, the word 'woman' contains the semes 'human', 'adult', and 'female'.
- The teacher explained how a seme can change the meaning of a word entirely.
- Comparing the semes of 'walk' and 'run' shows they share the feature of movement but differ in speed.