Which term describes a group of words sharing the same root with different affixes?

Which term describes a group of words sharing the same root with different affixes?

• A. word family
• B. lemma
• C. stem
• D. root set

Answer: (A)

Grouping words that share the same root and differ by affixes is described as a word family. This concept highlights how a single root carries a core meaning, while prefixes and suffixes expand or shift that meaning to create related words, such as act, action, active, actor, and activate. The idea is that these forms are connected through the same root and belong together as a family of related terms. Lemmas refer to a single dictionary form used to represent a lexeme, not the whole set of related forms. The stem is the base form that affixes attach to, which is useful for word formation but does not itself denote the entire group. A “root set” isn’t a standard term for this concept. So the term that best fits the description is word family.

Grouping words that share the same root and differ by affixes is described as a word family. This concept highlights how a single root carries a core meaning, while prefixes and suffixes expand or shift that meaning to create related words, such as act, action, active, actor, and activate. The idea is that these forms are connected through the same root and belong together as a family of related terms.

Lemmas refer to a single dictionary form used to represent a lexeme, not the whole set of related forms. The stem is the base form that affixes attach to, which is useful for word formation but does not itself denote the entire group. A “root set” isn’t a standard term for this concept. So the term that best fits the description is word family.