What is the smallest unit of meaning in a language called?

The smallest unit of meaning in a language is called a morpheme. A morpheme can be a complete word, like "cat," or a part of a word, such as prefixes and suffixes, like "un-" in "unhappy" or "-ed" in "walked." Each morpheme contributes to the overall meaning of a word or the grammatical structure of a sentence.

Understanding the concept of morphemes is essential in studying language and linguistics because they serve as building blocks for words and sentences. By recognizing morphemes, learners can better analyze how words are formed and how meanings can change with the addition of different morphemes.

The other options represent different linguistic concepts. A morpheme cluster isn’t a standard term in linguistics; lexeme refers to a fundamental unit of meaning but typically encompasses a group of related morphemes, and a phrase consists of a group of words that work together, which are larger than morphemes. Thus, the best representation of the smallest unit of meaning is indeed the morpheme.