The foundation of a word is called a _____.Worth 5.000 points.A.   suffixB.   prefixC.   root wordD.   word’s base

The correct answer to the question is C. root word.

Explanation

In linguistics, particularly in the study of morphology, a word is typically composed of several components, including a root word, prefixes, and suffixes.

1. Root Word: The root word is the fundamental part of a word that carries meaning. It serves as the base from which other words can be formed by adding prefixes (elements added to the beginning) or suffixes (elements added to the end).

2. Suffix: This is an affix that is added to the end of a root word to modify its meaning or grammatical function, but it does not constitute the foundation of the word itself.

3. Prefix: Similar to a suffix, a prefix modifies the meaning of the root word but is not the foundational element of the word.

4. Word’s Base: While this may imply the root word, the standard term in linguistic studies specifically refers to the root word.

Given these definitions, the foundation of a word is best described as the "root word," which is option C. This understanding is fundamental in the study of word formation and provides insight into how complex words are constructed in English and other languages.