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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

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

The combined group would preserve the respective brands, historical headquarters and territorial roots of the two banks and adopt a governance structure based on balance and representativeness, BPM said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

Grammy Award winner Pink is hosting for the first time, and though the pop star lacks direct Broadway roots, her songs have been featured in the jukebox musicals “Moulin Rouge!” and “& Juliet.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026

Clamping his jaws around the unearthed roots, Clare pulled himself back.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman