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• roots
  roots

  adjective

  (of popular music) going back to the origins of a style, esp in being genuine and unpretentious
• Roots
  Roots

  (1976) A Pulitzer Prize –winning novel by the African-American author Alex Haley, later made into a popular television drama. It traces a black American man's heritage to Africa, where his ancestors had been captured and sold as slaves.

roots

British  

/ ruːts /

adjective

1. (of popular music) going back to the origins of a style, esp in being genuine and unpretentious

   roots rock

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Roots Cultural  

1. (1976) A Pulitzer Prize –winning novel by the African-American author Alex Haley, later made into a popular television drama. It traces a black American man's heritage to Africa, where his ancestors had been captured and sold as slaves.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• rootsy
  adjective

Example Sentences

Didion’s family eventually settled in Sacramento, where several generations would tend to their roots and Didion would eventually be born.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026

One recurring feature is the thin groove across exposed tooth roots, especially between teeth.

From Science Daily • Jun. 8, 2026

Children have a stronger sense of their roots and family culture, are more likely to stay together with brothers and sisters as a unit, and are more likely to report that they feel loved.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026

"He knows exactly where he comes from and regularly visits his small hometown in Rogaland. He is incredibly proud of his roots and always makes himself available to the Norwegian press when representing his country."

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026

From above, the roots were coming alive like long, twisted fingers.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova