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

• rootsy adjective

Example Sentences

The supermarket fixture known for its red-capped spices traces its roots to founder Willoughby McCormick, who at 25 years old started selling root beer, flavoring extracts, and fruit syrups door-to-door.

From The Wall Street Journal

JPMorgan has been looking to grow deeper roots in the cities and towns where it does business, rolling out specialty branches focused on community education for years.

From The Wall Street Journal

His Chickasaw roots shared a lot in common with my Cherokee ones.

From Literature

It offers no resistance, its roots tiny, pathetic.

From Literature

Early in his ushering days, he’d found that if he was careful about the roots, he could successfully transplant any mushroom from Deadwood into his garden.

From Literature