Morphemes in “enclosure”

“enclosure” has 3 morphemes: en- + close + -ure.

en prefix
+
clos root
+
ure suffix

Spelling changes when the parts join: the boxes show the letters as written; the morphemes themselves are en- + close + -ure.

Each morpheme explained

MorphemeTypeFree / boundMeaning
en- derivational prefix bound cause to be, put into
close (written clos) free root free move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
-ure derivational suffix bound action, result or means of

How the word is built

close enclose enclosure

Each step adds one affix to the word before it; the root “close” is where the chain starts.

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Related words

Segmentation derived from MorphyNet (Batsuren, Bella & Giunchiglia, 2021; CC BY-SA 3.0, built from Wiktionary), with hand-written affix glosses and root meanings from WordNet. Reviewed for classroom use; tell us if you spot an error.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many morphemes are in "enclosure"?
"enclosure" has three morphemes: en- + close + -ure.
How do you break "enclosure" into morphemes?
en- + close + -ure. The root is "close"; en- is a derivational prefix, -ure is a derivational suffix.
What is the root word of "enclosure"?
The root of "enclosure" is "close", built up as close → enclose → enclosure.
Is this morphology tool free?
Yes. The Fixie morphological analyzer is free with no signup and runs in your browser.