Morphemes in “renewal”
“renewal” has 3 morphemes: re- + new + -al.
re
prefix
+
new
root
+
al
suffix
Spelling changes when the parts join: the boxes show the letters as written; the morphemes themselves are re- + new + -al.
Each morpheme explained
| Morpheme | Type | Free / bound | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| re- | derivational prefix | bound | again, back |
| new | free root | free | not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered |
| -al | derivational suffix | bound | action or result of (noun, as in arrival) |
How the word is built
new → renew → renewal
Each step adds one affix to the word before it; the root “new” is where the chain starts.
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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 "renewal"?
"renewal" has three morphemes: re- + new + -al.
How do you break "renewal" into morphemes?
re- + new + -al. The root is "new"; re- is a derivational prefix, -al is a derivational suffix.
What is the root word of "renewal"?
The root of "renewal" is "new", built up as new → renew → renewal.
Is this morphology tool free?
Yes. The Fixie morphological analyzer is free with no signup and runs in your browser.