root1

Pronunciation: /ruːt/

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Definition of root

noun

1the part of a plant which attaches it to the ground or to a support, typically underground, conveying water and nourishment to the rest of the plant via numerous branches and fibres: cacti have deep and spreading roots a tree root [as modifier]:root growth
the persistent underground part of a plant, especially when fleshy and enlarged and used as a vegetable, e.g. a turnip or carrot: you should never wash roots before storing
any plant grown for its root: roots like beet and carrot cannot be transplanted
the embedded part of a bodily organ or structure such as a hair, tooth, or nail:her hair was fairer at the roots
the part of a thing attaching it to a greater or more fundamental whole; the end or base: a little lever near the root of the barrel they disappeared from sight behind the root of the crag

2the basic cause, source, or origin of something:money is the root of all evil jealousy was at the root of it [as modifier]:the root cause of the problem
(roots) family, ethnic, or cultural origins:it’s always nice to return to my roots
(as modifier roots) denoting or relating to something from a particular ethnic or cultural origin, especially a non-Western one:roots music
(in biblical use) a scion; a descendant:the root of David
Linguistics a morpheme, not necessarily surviving as a word in itself, from which words have been made by the addition of prefixes or suffixes or by other modification: many European words stem from this linguistic root [as modifier]:the root form of the word
(also root note) Music the fundamental note of a chord: in the sequence the roots of the chords drop by fifths

3 Mathematics a number or quantity that when multiplied by itself, typically a specified number of times, gives a specified number or quantity.
short for square root.
a value of an unknown quantity satisfying a given equation: the roots of the equation differ by an integer

4Australian/NZ & Irish vulgar slang an act of sexual intercourse.
[with adjective] a sexual partner of a specified ability.

verb

[with object]

1cause (a plant or cutting) to grow roots:root your own cuttings from stock plants
[no object] (of a plant or cutting) establish roots:large trees had rooted in the canal bank

2establish deeply and firmly:vegetarianism is rooted in Indian culture
(be rooted in) have as an origin or cause:the Latin verb is rooted in an Indo-European word

3 [with object and adverbial] (often as adjective rooted) cause (someone) to stand immobile through fear or amazement:she found herself rooted to the spot in disbelief

4 [with object] Australian/NZ & Irish vulgar slang have sexual intercourse with.
exhaust (someone) or frustrate their efforts: (as adjective rooted)grab a pew—you must be rooted

Phrases

at root: basically; fundamentally:it is a moral question at root
put down roots: (of a plant) begin to draw nourishment from the soil through its roots.; (of a person) begin to have a settled life in a particular place: I think it’s time I put down some roots they have married, put down roots
root and branch: used to express the thorough or radical nature of a process or operation:root-and-branch reform of personal taxation
strike at the root (or roots) of: affect in a vital area with potentially destructive results:the proposals struck at the roots of community life
take root: (of a plant) begin to grow and draw nourishment from the soil through its roots.; become fixed or established:the idea had taken root in my mind

Phrasal Verbs

root something out: (also root something up) dig or pull up a plant by the roots: they are rooting up hawthorn bushes they make a mess, root up plants and flowers; find and get rid of someone or something pernicious or dangerous:a campaign to root out corruption

Derivatives

rootedness
rootlet
root-like
rooty

Origin:

late Old English rōt, from Old Norse rót; related to Latin radix, also to wort

Grammar

What is left when you remove all prefixes and suffixes from a word:

word	prefixes and suffixes	root
misunderstanding	mis-, -under-, -ing	stand
inspirational	in-, -ation-, -al	spir

Sometimes the root may be a word in its own right, like stand, but often, like spir, it is not. (But the root spir, which is Latin in origin, occurs in other words such as aspired, transpiration, and expire.)

root in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of root in the US English dictionary

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Other

root1

noun

verb

Phrases

at root

put down roots

root and branch

strike at the root (or roots) of

take root

Phrasal Verbs

root something out

Derivatives

rootedness

rootlet

root-like

rooty

Origin:

Grammar

root in other Oxford dictionaries

Nearby words

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