What is the study called that focuses on the meaning of words?

The study focusing on the meaning of words is referred to as morphology. This field of study explores the structure, formation, and meaning of words by examining morphemes, which are the smallest units of meaning. Morphology delves into how different morphemes combine to create new words or alter existing ones, thereby impacting their meanings. By analyzing the components of words, such as prefixes, roots, and suffixes, morphology helps us understand how language conveys meaning and how it evolves over time.

Morphism, phonetics, and syllabication, while related to language and its structures, do not address the meaning of words in the same way morphology does. Morphism is not widely recognized as a standard term in linguistics related to meaning. Phonetics concentrates on the sounds of speech, focusing on how they are produced and perceived rather than their meanings. Syllabication involves the division of words into syllables, which is more about pronunciation than about meaning. Therefore, morphology is the correct term for the study of word meaning.