Here's a breakdown of its meaning:
* Salita: word
* Ugat: root
Therefore, "salitang-ugat" refers to the basic or fundamental part of a word. It's the core meaning from which other words are derived.
For example:
* "Basa" is the salitang-ugat for "mababasa" (will read), "binabasa" (is reading), and "nababasa" (is being read).
Understanding the salitang-ugat helps in understanding the meaning of related words and their grammatical function.