root

noun

a part of the body of a plant that develops, typically, from the radicle and grows downward into the soil, anchoring the plant and absorbing nutriment and moisture.

a similar organ developed from some other part of a plant, as one of those by which ivy clings to its support.

any underground part of a plant, as a rhizome.

something resembling or suggesting the root of a plant in position or function: roots of wires and cables.

the embedded or basal portion of a hair, tooth, nail, nerve, etc.

the fundamental or essential part: the root of a matter. Synonyms: base, foundation, basic part, basic element.

the source or origin of a thing: The love of money is the root of all evil. Synonyms: beginning, rise, fount, fountainhead, spring, wellspring; derivation, originator.

a person or family as the source of offspring or descendants. Synonyms: parent, progenitor; ancestor(s), forebear(s), forefather.

an offshoot or scion.

10.

Mathematics.

Also called nth root. a quantity that, when multiplied by itself a certain number of times, produces a given quantity: The number 2 is the square root of 4, the cube root of 8, and the fourth root of 16.

rth root, the quantity raised to the power 1/ r : The number 2 is the ¹ / ₃ root of 8.

a value of the argument of a function for which the function takes the value zero.

11.

Computers.

Also called root directory. the topmost directory of a hierarchical file system.

the UNIX account, having the username “root,” that allows administrator privileges.

12.

Grammar.

a morpheme that underlies an inflectional or derivational paradigm, as dance, the root in danced, dancer, or ten-, the root of Latin tendere “to stretch.”

such a form reconstructed for a parent language, as *sed-, the hypothetical proto-Indo-European root meaning “sit.”

13.

roots.

a person's original or true home, environment, and culture: He's lived in New York for twenty years, but his roots are in France.

the personal relationships, affinity for a locale, habits, and the like, that make a country, region, city, or town one's true home: He lived in Tulsa for a few years, but never established any roots there.

personal identification with a culture, religion, etc., seen as promoting the development of the character or the stability of society as a whole.

14.

Music.

the fundamental tone of a compound tone or of a series of harmonies.

the lowest tone of a chord when arranged as a series of thirds; the fundamental.

15.

Machinery.

(in a screw or other threaded object) the narrow inner surface between threads. Compare crest ( def 18 ), flank ( def 7 ).

(in a gear) the narrow inner surface between teeth.

16.

Australian Informal. an act of sexual intercourse.

17.

Shipbuilding. the inner angle of an angle iron.

Relevant Questions

What Is Root?

What Are Roots?

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verb (used with object)

18.

to fix by or as if by roots: We were rooted to the spot by surprise.

19.

to implant or establish deeply: Good manners were rooted in him like a second nature.

20.

to pull, tear, or dig up by the roots (often followed by up or out ).

21.

to extirpate; exterminate; remove completely (often followed by up or out ): to root out crime. Synonyms: eradicate, eliminate, wipe out, obliterate.

22.

Digital Technology.

to gain access to the operating system of (a smartphone, tablet, gaming console, etc.), as to alter system files or settings. Compare jailbreak ( def 3 ).

to install a rootkit on (a computer, electronic device, etc.).

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to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.

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verb (used without object)

23.

to become fixed or established.

24.

Digital Technology. to manipulate the operating system of a smartphone, tablet, etc. Compare jailbreak ( def 4 ).

Idioms

25.

root and branch, utterly; entirely: to destroy something root and branch.

26.

take root,

to send out roots; begin to grow.

to become fixed or established: The prejudices of parents usually take root in their children.

Origin:
before 1150; (noun) Middle English; late Old English rōt < Old Norse rōt; akin to Old English wyrt ‘plant’, wort², German Wurzel, Latin rādīx (see radix), Greek rhíza (see rhizome); (v.) Middle English roten, rooten, derivative of the noun

Related forms

root·like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged

verb (used without object)

to turn up the soil with the snout, as swine.

to poke, pry, or search, as if to find something: to root around in a drawer for loose coins.

verb (used with object)

to turn over with the snout (often followed by up ).

to unearth; bring to light (often followed by up ).

Origin:
1530–40; variant of obsolete wroot (Old English wrōtan, akin to wrōt ‘a snout’)

verb (used without object)

to encourage a team or contestant by cheering or applauding enthusiastically. Synonyms: cheer, cheer on, shout for, applaud, clap, boost, support.

to lend moral support: The whole group will be rooting for him. Synonyms: back, second; champion, advocate, favor, espouse.

Origin:
1885–90, Americanism; perhaps variant of rout⁴

noun

El·i·hu

[el-uh-hyoo] , 1845–1937, U.S. lawyer and statesman: Nobel peace prize 1912.

John Well·born

[wel-bern] , 1851–91, U.S. architect.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source

Link To root

Collins

World English Dictionary

root¹ (ruːt)

—n
1.	a. the organ of a higher plant that anchors the rest of the plant in the ground, absorbs water and mineral salts from the soil, and does not bear leaves or buds
	b. (loosely) any of the branches of such an organ
2.	any plant part, such as a rhizome or tuber, that is similar to a root in structure, function, or appearance
3.	a. the essential, fundamental, or primary part or nature of something: your analysis strikes at the root of the problem
	b. (as modifier): the root cause of the problem
4.	anatomy the embedded portion of a tooth, nail, hair, etc
5.	origin or derivation, esp as a source of growth, vitality, or existence
6.	(plural) a person's sense of belonging in a community, place, etc, esp the one in which he was born or brought up
7.	an ancestor or antecedent
8.	Bible a descendant
9.	Compare stem the form of a word that remains after removal of all affixes; a morpheme with lexical meaning that is not further subdivisible into other morphemes with lexical meaning
10.	maths a number or quantity that when multiplied by itself a certain number of times equals a given number or quantity: 3 is a cube root of 27
11.	maths Also called: solution a number that when substituted for the variable satisfies a given equation: 2 is a root of x³ -- 2x -- 4 = 0
12.	music (in harmony) the note forming the foundation of a chord
13.	slang (Austral), (NZ) sexual intercourse
14.	root and branch Related: radical
	a. (adverb) entirely; completely; utterly
	b. (adjective) thorough; radical; complete

—vb
15.	(intr) Also: take root to put forth or establish a root and begin to grow
16.	(intr) Also: take root to become established, embedded, or effective
17.	(tr) to fix or embed with or as if with a root or roots
18.	slang (Austral), (NZ) to have sexual intercourse (with)

Related: radical

[Old English rōt, from Old Norse; related to Old English wyrtwort]

'rooter¹

—n

'rootlike¹

—*adj*

'rooty¹

—*adj*

'rootiness¹

—n

root² (ruːt)

—vb (foll by about, around, in etc)
1.	(of a pig) to burrow in or dig up the earth in search of food, using the snout
2.	informal to search vigorously but unsystematically

[C16: changed (through influence of root¹) from earlier wroot, from Old English wrōtan; related to Old English wrōt snout, Middle Dutch wrōte mole]

'rooter²

—n

root³

—vb (usually foll by for)
	informal to give support to (a contestant, team, etc), as by cheering

[C19: perhaps a variant of Scottish rout to make a loud noise, from Old Norse rauta to roar]

'rooter³

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

root

"underground part of a plant," late O.E. rot, from O.N. rot "root," from P.Gmc. *wrot, *vrot (with characteristic loss of -w- before -r-), from PIE *wrd-. The O.E. cognate was wyrt "root, herb, plant" (see wort); also cognate with L. radix. The usual O.E. words for "root"

were wyrttruma and wyrtwala. Figurative use is from c.1200. Of teeth, hair, etc., from early 13c. Mathematical sense is from 1550s. Slang meaning "penis" is recorded from 1846. The verb meaning "fixed or firmly attached by roots" (often figurative) is attested from late 14c.; sense of "to pull up by the root" (now usually uproot) also is from late 14c. Root beer first recorded 1843, Amer.Eng.; root doctor is from 1821.

root

"dig with the snout," 1538, from M.E. wroten "dig with the snout," from O.E. wrotan, from P.Gmc. *wrotanan (cf. O.N. rota, Swed. rota "to dig out, root," M.L.G. wroten, M.Du. wroeten, O.H.G. ruozian "to plow up"), cognate with L. rodere "to gnaw" (see rodent). Associated

with the verb sense of root (n.). Extended sense of "poke about, pry" first recorded 1831. Phrase root hog or die "work or fail" first attested 1834, Amer.Eng. (in works of Davey Crockett, who noted it as an "old saying"). Reduplicated form rootin' tootin' "noisy, rambunctious" is recorded from 1875.

root

"cheer, support," 1889, Amer.Eng., originally in a baseball context, probably from root (v.1) via intermediate sense of "study, work hard" (1856).

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

root (r&oomacr;t, r&oobreve;t)
n.

The embedded part of an organ or structure, such as a hair, tooth, or nerve, serving as a base or support.
A primary source; an origin; radix.

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

root

t, r

t) Pronunciation Key

A plant part that usually grows underground, secures the plant in place, absorbs minerals and water, and stores food manufactured by leaves and other plant parts. Roots grow in a root system. Eudicots and magnoliids have a central, longer, and larger taproot with many narrower lateral roots branching off, while monocots have a mass of threadlike fibrous roots, which are roughly the same length and remain close to the surface of the soil. In vascular plants, roots usually consist of a central cylinder of vascular tissue, surrounded by the pericycle and endodermis, then a thick layer of cortex, and finally an outer epidermis or (in woody plants) periderm. Only finer roots (known as feeder roots) actively take up water and minerals, generally in the uppermost meter of soil. These roots absorb minerals primarily through small epidermal structures known as root hairs. In certain plants, adventitious roots grow out from the stem above ground as aerial roots or prop roots, bending down into the soil, to facilitate the exchange of gases or increase support. Certain plants (such as the carrot and beet) have fleshy storage roots with abundant parenchyma in their vascular tissues. See also fibrous root , taproot.
Any of various other plant parts that grow underground, especially an underground stem such as a corm, rhizome, or tuber.
The part of a tooth that is embedded in the jaw and not covered by enamel.
Mathematics
1. A number that, when multiplied by itself a given number of times, produces a specified number. For example, since 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 = 16, 2 is a fourth root of 16.
2. A solution to an equation. For example, a root of the equation x² - 4 = 0 is 2, since 2² - 4 = 0.

American Heritage

Cultural Dictionary

root definition

In biology, the part of a plant that grows downward and holds the plant in place, absorbs water and minerals from the soil, and often stores food. The main root of a plant is called the primary root; others are called secondary roots. The hard tip is called the root cap, which protects the growing cells behind it. Root hairs increase the root's absorbing surface.

root definition

The part of a tooth below the gum. The root anchors the tooth to the jawbone.

Slang Dictionary

root definition

n.
a cigarette or a cigar. : That root you're smoking sure stinks.
in.
to eat food like a pig. : Bart is downstairs rooting now. It won't take that slob long to eat.

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source

FOLDOC

Computing Dictionary

root definition

1. The Unix superuser account (with user name "root" and user ID 0) that overrides file permissions. The term avatar is also used. By extension, the privileged system-maintenance login on any operating system.
See root mode, go root, wheel.
[Jargon File]
(1994-10-27)
2. root directory.
(1996-11-21)
3. root node.
(1998-11-14)

American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

root

In addition to the idioms beginning with root, also see put down roots; take root.

Example sentences from the web

Beneath the epidermis is the cortex, which comprises the bulk of the primary root.

The words cosmetics and cosmetology originate from the same root.

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characteristic root enroot fibrous root licorice pleurisy root prop root

Idioms & Phrases

root

put down roots

take root

Images for root

Matching Quote

"...there is hope for a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease. Though its root grows old in the earth, and its stump dies in the ground, yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth branches like a young plant. But mortals die, and are laid low; humans expire, and where are they?"

-unknown author