redroot

[ red-root, -root ]

noun

1. a North American plant, Lachnanthes caroliniana (or L. tinctoria ), having sword-shaped leaves, woolly, yellowish flowers, and a root that is red in color.
2. any of various other plants having red roots, as the alkanet, Alkanna tinctoria, pigweed, Amaranthus retroflexus, and New Jersey tea, Ceanothus americanus.

redroot

/ ˈrɛdˌruːt /

noun

1. a bog plant, Lachnanthes tinctoria , of E North America, having woolly yellow flowers and roots that yield a red dye: family Haemodoraceae
2. See pigweed
   another name for pigweed

Word History and Origins

Origin of redroot¹

An Americanism dating back to 1700–10; red ¹ + root ¹

Example Sentences

He notes merely the white blossoms of the redroot peeping through the withered leaves, and the buds of the buckeye.

From Project Gutenberg

The weeds commonly called redroot or iron-weed are very good for this.

From Project Gutenberg

It does indeed look like a kind of forethought in the redroot.

From Project Gutenberg