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root
1[ root, 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: foundation, base
- the source or origin of a thing:
The love of money is the root of all evil.
Synonyms: originator, derivation, wellspring, spring, fountainhead, fount, rise, beginning
- a person or family as the source of offspring or descendants.
Synonyms: forefather, forebear(s), ancestor(s), progenitor, parent
- an offshoot or scion.
- Mathematics.
- Also called nth root. a quantity that, when raised to the nth power (multiplied by itself n 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.
- a value of the argument of a function for which the function takes the value zero.
- Computers.
- Also called root di·rec·to·ry. the topmost directory of a hierarchical file system.
- the UNIX account, having the username “root,” that allows administrator privileges.
- 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.”
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Australian Informal. an act of sexual intercourse.
- Shipbuilding. the inner angle of an angle iron.
verb (used with object)
- to fix by or as if by roots:
We were rooted to the spot by surprise.
- to implant or establish deeply:
Good manners were rooted in him like a second nature.
- to pull, tear, or dig up by the roots (often followed by up or out ).
- to remove completely; extirpate; exterminate (often followed by up or out ):
to root out crime.
Synonyms: eliminate, eradicate, obliterate, wipe out
- 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.).
verb (used without object)
- to become fixed or established.
- Digital Technology. to manipulate the operating system of a smartphone, tablet, etc. Compare jailbreak ( def 4 ).
root
2[ root, root ]
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 ).
root
3[ rootor, sometimes, root ]
Root
4[ root ]
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.
root
1verb
- informal.intrusually foll byfor to give support to (a contestant, team, etc), as by cheering
root
2/ ruːt /
noun
- 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
- (loosely) any of the branches of such an organ
- any plant part, such as a rhizome or tuber, that is similar to a root in structure, function, or appearance
- the essential, fundamental, or primary part or nature of something
your analysis strikes at the root of the problem
- ( as modifier )
the root cause of the problem
- anatomy the embedded portion of a tooth, nail, hair, etc
- origin or derivation, esp as a source of growth, vitality, or existence
- plural a person's sense of belonging in a community, place, etc, esp the one in which he was born or brought up
- an ancestor or antecedent
- Bible a descendant
- See stemthe 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 Compare stem 1
- 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
- Also calledsolution maths a number that when substituted for the variable satisfies a given equation
2 is a root of x³ – 2x – 4 = 0
- music (in harmony) the note forming the foundation of a chord
- slang.sexual intercourse
- root and branchroot and branch radical
- adverb entirely; completely; utterly
- adjective thorough; radical; complete
verb
- Alsotake root intr to put forth or establish a root and begin to grow
- Alsotake root intr to become established, embedded, or effective
- tr to fix or embed with or as if with a root or roots
- slang.to have sexual intercourse (with)
root
3/ ruːt /
verb
- (of a pig) to burrow in or dig up the earth in search of food, using the snout
- informal.foll byabout, around, in etc to search vigorously but unsystematically
root
/ ro̅o̅t,rt /
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- A solution to an equation. For example, a root of the equation x 2 − 4 = 0 is 2, since 2 2 − 4 = 0.
root
2- 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.
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Derived Forms
- ˈrooter, noun
- ˈrooter, noun
- ˈrooty, adjective
- ˈrootiness, noun
- ˈrootˌlike, adjective
- ˈrooter, noun
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Other Words From
- root·like adjective
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Word History and Origins
Origin of root1
Origin of root2
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Word History and Origins
Origin of root1
Origin of root2
Origin of root3
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Idioms and Phrases
to destroy something root and branch.
- take root,
- to send out roots; begin to grow.
- to become fixed or established:
The prejudices of parents usually take root in their children.
More idioms and phrases containing root
- put down roots
- take root
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Example Sentences
The Public Advocate Office argued that might allow for grasses and non-native species, which are much more fire-prone, to take root.
Finally, Dame Judi Dench was nominated for a 2013 Oscar for “Philomena,” a moving fact-based dramedy rooted in the horrific scandal of the Magdalen Sisters in Ireland.
Their sense of powerlessness, whether real or imagined, is at the root of their despair.
The “sponge” holds moisture within itself—as sponges do—keeping that moisture from filtering down deeper where it would no longer reach plants’ roots, and enhancing the effects of fertilizer.
When you modify gravity, you’re trying to go back to the roots of what space-time is — the left-hand side — and seeing if there’s a modification that makes sense.
A Republican candidate hoping to win red state support could find a worse team to root for than one from Dallas.
Last summer, I spoke with first black supermodel Beverly Johnson about this for The Root.
It has grown from a rotten root—striving to replace human judgment with detailed dictates.
The root of the word irony is in the Greek eironeia, “liar.”
Speak to the friends and people you need to root out in life and let that conversation flow.
He is what the bill wishes to make for us, a regular root doctor, and will suit the place exactly.
But at the root of the unnatural miracles is the natural miracle—the heart of man.
You see, I stuck to him like a log to a root, but for the first week or so 'twant no use—not a bit.
The same two impulses are said to lie at the root of the elaborate art of personal adornment developed by savages.
This book occasioned some prelates to say that they must root out printing or printing would root out them.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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