What term refers to the fundamental part of a word?

The term that refers to the fundamental part of a word is the root word. This is the core part of a word that carries the primary meaning and can stand alone or be modified with prefixes or suffixes to create related words. Understanding root words is essential in vocabulary building as they often form the basis for creating new terms by adding additional morphemes.

A prefix is added at the beginning of a root word to modify its meaning, while a suffix is attached to the end of a root word for similar purposes. The combining form refers to a root word combined with a vowel, typically used in medical terminology to ease pronunciation, but it still centers around the root itself. Recognizing the root word helps in comprehending the structure and meaning of various derivatives in the language.