allomorph

noun

Pronunciation: /ˈæləˌmɔːrf/

Definition

A variant form of a specific morpheme that appears in a particular phonetic or grammatical environment.

Examples

• The English past tense suffix '-ed' has three distinct allomorphs depending on the final sound of the verb root.

• Linguists analyze how different allomorphs of a prefix are selected based on the following consonant.

• Identifying every allomorph of a root word is essential for understanding the underlying morphological structure of a language.

Synonyms of allomorph

Words with a similar meaning to allomorph:

• variant
• morphemic variant

Browse the full Anaversity dictionary