Answer:
It provides the foundation for a word’s meaning.
Explanation:
Let's say, for example, you encountered the word "unhappiness" within a reading text. And, let's say that you had no idea whatsoever what the affixes -un and -ness meant. You would at the very least be able to recognize (a form of) the word 'happy' as the root of the larger word and know that the word had something to do with the concept of "happy."
