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• 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.
• Root
  Root

  noun

  Elihu 1845–1937, U.S. lawyer and statesman: Nobel Peace Prize 1912.

root

¹ American  

[root, root] / rut, rʊt /

noun

• roots
  plural

1. 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.

2. a similar organ developed from some other part of a plant, as one of those by which ivy clings to its support.

3. any underground part of a plant, as a rhizome.

4. something resembling or suggesting the root of a plant in position or function.

   roots of wires and cables.

5. the embedded or basal portion of a hair, tooth, nail, nerve, etc.

6. the fundamental or essential part.

   the root of a matter.

   Synonyms:

   foundation, base

7. 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

8. a person or family as the source of offspring or descendants.

   Synonyms:

   forefather, forebear(s), ancestor(s), progenitor, parent

9. an offshoot or scion.

10. Mathematics.

    1. 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.

    2. a value of the argument of a function for which the function takes the value zero.

11. Computers.

    1. Also called root directory.  the topmost directory of a hierarchical file system.

    2. the UNIX account, having the username “root,” that allows administrator privileges.

12. Grammar.

    1. 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.”

    2. such a form reconstructed for a parent language, as *sed-, the hypothetical Proto-Indo-European root meaning “sit.”

13. roots,

    1. 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.

    2. 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.

    3. personal identification with a culture, religion, etc., seen as promoting the development of the character or the stability of society as a whole.

14. Music.

    1. the fundamental tone of a compound tone or of a series of harmonies.

    2. the lowest tone of a chord when arranged as a series of thirds; the fundamental.

15. Machinery.

    1. (in a screw or other threaded object) the narrow inner surface between threads.

    2. (in a gear) the narrow inner surface between teeth.

16. Australian Informal. an act of sexual intercourse.

17. Shipbuilding. the inner angle of an angle iron.

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verb (used with object)

1. to fix by or as if by roots.

   We were rooted to the spot by surprise.

2. to implant or establish deeply.

   Good manners were rooted in him like a second nature.

3. to pull, tear, or dig up by the roots (often followed by up orout ).

4. to remove completely; extirpate; exterminate (often followed by up orout ).

   to root out crime.

   Synonyms:

   wipe out, eliminate, eradicate, obliterate

5. Digital Technology.

   1. to gain access to the operating system of (a smartphone, tablet, gaming console, etc.), as to alter system files or settings.

   2. to install a rootkit on (a computer, electronic device, etc.).

verb (used without object)

1. to become fixed or established.

2. Digital Technology. to manipulate the operating system of a smartphone, tablet, etc.

idioms

1. root and branch, utterly; entirely.

   to destroy something root and branch.

2. take root,

   1. to send out roots; begin to grow.

   2. to become fixed or established.

      The prejudices of parents usually take root in their children.

root ² American  

[root, root] / rut, rʊt /

verb (used without object)

1. to turn up the soil with the snout, as swine.

2. to poke, pry, or search, as if to find something.

   to root around in a drawer for loose coins.

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verb (used with object)

1. to turn over with the snout (often followed byup ).

2. to unearth; bring to light (often followed byup ).

root ³ American  

[root, root] / rut, rʊt /

verb (used without object)

1. to encourage a team or contestant by cheering or applauding enthusiastically.

   Synonyms:

   support, boost, clap, applaud, cheer

2. to lend moral support.

   The whole group will be rooting for him.

   Synonyms:

   espouse, favor, advocate, champion, second, back

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Root ⁴ American  

[root] / rut /

noun

1. Elihu 1845–1937, U.S. lawyer and statesman: Nobel Peace Prize 1912.

2. John Wellborn 1851–91, U.S. architect.

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root ¹ British  

/ ruːt /

noun

1. 1. 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

   2. (loosely) any of the branches of such an organ

2. any plant part, such as a rhizome or tuber, that is similar to a root in structure, function, or appearance

3. 1. the essential, fundamental, or primary part or nature of something

      your analysis strikes at the root of the problem

   2. ( as modifier )

      the root cause of the problem

4. anatomy the embedded portion of a tooth, nail, hair, etc

5. origin or derivation, esp as a source of growth, vitality, or existence

6. (plural) a person's sense of belonging in a community, place, etc, esp the one in which he was born or brought up

7. an ancestor or antecedent

8. Bible a descendant

9. the 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

10. 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

11. Also called: solution.  maths a number that when substituted for the variable satisfies a given equation

    2 is a root of x³ – 2x – 4 = 0

12. music (in harmony) the note forming the foundation of a chord

13. slang sexual intercourse

14. 1. (adverb) entirely; completely; utterly

    2. (adjective) thorough; radical; complete

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verb

1. Also: take root.  (intr) to put forth or establish a root and begin to grow

2. Also: take root.  (intr) to become established, embedded, or effective

3. (tr) to fix or embed with or as if with a root or roots

4. slang to have sexual intercourse (with)

root ² British  

/ ruːt /

verb

1. (of a pig) to burrow in or dig up the earth in search of food, using the snout

2. informal to search vigorously but unsystematically

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root ³ British  

verb

1. informal to give support to (a contestant, team, etc), as by cheering

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root Scientific  

/ ro̅o̅t,rt /

1. 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.

2. See also fibrous root taproot

3. Any of various other plant parts that grow underground, especially an underground stem such as a corm, rhizome, or tuber.

4. The part of a tooth that is embedded in the jaw and not covered by enamel.

5. Mathematics

   1. 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.

   2. A solution to an equation. For example, a root of the equation x ² − 4 = 0 is 2, since 2 ² − 4 = 0.

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root ¹ Cultural  

1. 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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root ² Cultural  

1. The part of a tooth below the gum. The root anchors the tooth to the jawbone.

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root More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing root

• put down roots
• take root

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• rooter
  noun
• rootiness
  noun
• rootlike
  adjective
• rooty
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• roots
  plural

Etymology

Origin of root¹

First recorded before 1150; Middle English noun rote, roote, rowte, from late Old English rōt, from Old Norse rōt “root; cause, origin”; akin to Old English wyrt “plant, herb,” German Wurzel, Latin rādīx, Greek rhíza; the verb is derivative of the noun; see origin at radix, rhizome, wort ² ( def. )

Origin of root²

First recorded in 1530–40; variant of obsolete wroot ( Middle English wroten, Old English wrōtan, akin to wrōt “a snout”)

Origin of root³

An Americanism first recorded in 1885–90; perhaps variant of rout ⁴

Explanation

The root is the part of the plant that's underground. Dig up a potato, and you will unearth its roots. Just pull them off before you cook the potato. Root comes from the Latin word radix, which means "starting point," and you can think of the root of something as the place it starts from, whether that's the root of a tree, or the root of a problem. The root of your fear of swimming might have been a scary shark attack movie. If your ancestors come from Guatemala, you have Guatemalan roots. If you dig through a pile of junk, you're "rooting around."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

root Root roots

“Therein lies the root of my love/hate relationship with the NFL,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

He said previous agreements had failed as they did not tackle "the root cause" of the conflict, namely the continued presence in eastern DRC of Hutu militants linked to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

However, the lack of jobs lies at the root of the town's problems.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

It took a few years for the concept to take root.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

I race over, jaws ready to jerk his paw out, but then I see that it is not a root.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

On the first morning at Headingley, Root yanked a wayward Jofra Archer from the attack after only two overs.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

In Leeds, Root confirmed he had been in daily contact with Fleming, and Tongue has also heard from the incoming coach.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

This week, Root made no attempt to hide his frustration at "stupid mistakes".

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

Only last week, before the first Test in his second spell as captain, Root called on his players to be "really good role models and good human beings".

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

Few people knew more about the Rum War than Charles Root.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

Her refusal to de-emphasize her Tennessee accent or downplay her assets endeared her to a wide audience, along with her unsinkable pride in her country roots.

From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026

But they taught my siblings and me not to be ashamed of our roots and to give to those less fortunate, a philosophy that Parton practiced to the end of her 80 years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

A trio of beloved bluegrass albums, “The Grass Is Blue,” “Little Sparrow” and “Halos & Horns,” around the turn of the millennium reestablished her as a performer with extensive roots in rural America.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

It returned to those roots to try to steady the business.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

“If I could, I’d pull up my roots and move to the other side of the mountain, I would. This place is falling apart,” the ones who didn’t want to seem afraid would say.

From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan

Related Words

• essence
• foundation
• heart
• origin
• seed
• soul
• source
• stem
• stuff