What does a morpheme represent in a language?

A morpheme is recognized as the smallest unit of meaning in a language. This concept highlights how morphemes can stand alone as individual words (like "cat" or "run") or can function as parts of words, such as prefixes or suffixes (like "un-" in "undo" or "-ed" in "walked"). Each morpheme contributes specific meaning to the overall structure of words, illustrating the foundational role they play in language comprehension and formation. Understanding morphemes is essential for analyzing language at a more granular level, which can aid in tasks like vocabulary development and linguistic analysis.