root hair

American  

noun

1. an elongated tubular extension of an epidermal cell of a root, serving to absorb water and minerals from the soil.

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root hair British  

noun

1. any of the hollow hairlike outgrowths of the outer cells of a root, just behind the tip, that absorb water and salts from the soil

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root hair Scientific  

1. A hairlike outgrowth of a plant root that absorbs water and minerals from the soil. Root hairs are tubular extensions of the epidermis that greatly increase the surface area of the root. They are constantly dying off and being replaced by new ones as the root grows and extends itself into the soil.

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Etymology

Origin of root hair

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

The rye plant senses the world around it with more than 14 million roots and root hairs, a network that one plant neurobiologist described as a type of brain.

From Salon

Scientists have found a plant gene that drives the growth of root hairs, the tiny structures that help plants find water and nutrients in the soil.

From Science Daily

This particular genus is small and slow, and bears a striking resemblance to plant root hairs.

From Los Angeles Times

Often, scientists can get the cellular masses to produce fine root hairs, but the shoots have proved particularly problematic.

From Nature

Priorities are to develop joint sampling protocols and a common language across physics, soil science and biology, along with skills in image analysis, spatial statistics and modelling at scales from root hairs to whole-root systems.

From Nature