root

[root, roo t]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR root ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

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

any underground part of a plant, as a rhizome.

something resembling or suggesting the root of a plant in position or function: roots of wires and cables.

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

the fundamental or essential part: the root of a matter.

the source or origin of a thing: The love of money is the root of all evil.

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

an offshoot or scion.

Mathematics.

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

Computers.

Also called root directory.the topmost directory of a hierarchical file system.
the UNIX account, having the username “root,” that allows administrator privileges.

Grammar.

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

roots,

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

Music.

the fundamental tone of a compound tone or of a series of harmonies.
the lowest tone of a chord when arranged as a series of thirds; the fundamental.

Machinery.

(in a screw or other threaded object) the narrow inner surface between threads.Compare crest(def 18), flank(def 7).
(in a gear) the narrow inner surface between teeth.

Australian Informal. an act of sexual intercourse.

Shipbuilding. the inner angle of an angle iron.

verb (used with object)

to fix by or as if by roots: We were rooted to the spot by surprise.

to implant or establish deeply: Good manners were rooted in him like a second nature.

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

to extirpate; exterminate; remove completely (often followed by up or out): to root out crime.

Digital Technology.

to gain access to the operating system of (a smartphone, tablet, gaming console, etc.), as to alter system files or settings.Compare jailbreak(def 3).
to install a rootkit on (a computer, electronic device, etc.).

verb (used without object)

to become fixed or established.

Digital Technology. to manipulate the operating system of a smartphone, tablet, etc.Compare jailbreak(def 4).

Idioms

root and branch, utterly; entirely: to destroy something root and branch.

take root,

to send out roots; begin to grow.
to become fixed or established: The prejudices of parents usually take root in their children.

Origin of root

before 1150; (noun) Middle English; late Old English rōt < Old Norse rōt; akin to Old English wyrt ‘plant’, wort², German Wurzel, Latin rādīx (see radix), Greek rhíza (see rhizome); (v.) Middle English roten, rooten, derivative of the noun

Related formsroot·like, adjective

Can be confusedroot rout route

root

[root, roo t]

verb (used without object)

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

to poke, pry, or search, as if to find something: to root around in a drawer for loose coins.

verb (used with object)

to turn over with the snout (often followed by up).

to unearth; bring to light (often followed by up).

Origin of root

1530–40; variant of obsolete wroot (Old English wrōtan, akin to wrōt ‘a snout’)

root

[root or, sometimes, roo t]

verb (used without object)

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

to lend moral support: The whole group will be rooting for him.

Origin of root

1885–90, Americanism; perhaps variant of rout⁴

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for rooting

embed, ingrain, rummage, poke, forage, grub, hunt, burrow, place, nose, lodge, delve, pry, ferret

Examples from the Web for rooting

Contemporary Examples of rooting

Before I was the underdog, slowly growing so people were rooting me on.
The Hot Designer Who Hates Fashion: VK Nagrani Triumphs His Own Way
Tom Teodorczuk
December 1, 2014
Even as a Democrat, I am rooting for the GOP to seize this slam-dunk opportunity.
To Make Their Victory Durable, the GOP Must Fix the Minimum Wage
Dmitri Mehlhorn
November 6, 2014
Are you rooting hard for your native Germany in the World Cup?
Diane Kruger on ‘The Bridge,’ the Immigration Problem, and Rooting For Germany in the World Cup
Marlow Stern
July 10, 2014
Fellow liberals, you were rooting for Chris McDaniel to beat Thad Cochran on Tuesday night in Mississippi.
Thad Cochran Wins One for Sanity Over Tea Partier Chris McDaniel
Michael Tomasky
June 25, 2014
It is not even that neutral observers were, by the end, rooting for the same, cynical Italy.
Luis Suarez, Uruguay’s Notorious Soccer Vampire, Strikes Again—Biting Italian in World Cup Win
Tunku Varadarajan
June 24, 2014

Historical Examples of rooting

The rooting of cuttings is an interesting task to all who are fond of flowers.
Agriculture for Beginners
Charles William Burkett
There were people about, rooting through the debris, or patrolling in groups.
Victory
Lester del Rey
Every prince in Europe is interested in rooting them out by fire and sword.
Imaginary Conversations and Poems
Walter Savage Landor
"Not only cutting down, but rooting up," said Mr. Fothergill.
Framley Parsonage
Anthony Trollope
At school he was always at it, plucking it out, and rooting it up.
The Immortal
Alphonse Daudet

British Dictionary definitions for rooting

root

noun

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
(loosely) any of the branches of such an organ

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

the essential, fundamental, or primary part or nature of somethingyour analysis strikes at the root of the problem
(as modifier)the root cause of the problem

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

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

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

an ancestor or antecedent

Bible a descendant

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 meaningCompare stem 1 (def. 9)

maths a number or quantity that when multiplied by itself a certain number of times equals a given number or quantity3 is a cube root of 27

Also called: solution maths a number that when substituted for the variable satisfies a given equation2 is a root of x³ – 2x – 4 = 0

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

Australian and NZ slang sexual intercourse

root and branch

(adverb)entirely; completely; utterly
(adjective)thorough; radical; complete

Related adjective: radical

verb

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

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

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

Australian and NZ slang to have sexual intercourse (with)

Word Origin for root

Old English rōt, from Old Norse; related to Old English wyrt wort

root

verb (intr)

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

(foll by about, around, in etc) informal to search vigorously but unsystematically

Derived Formsrooter, noun

Word Origin for root

C16: changed (through influence of root 1) from earlier wroot, from Old English wrōtan; related to Old English wrōt snout, Middle Dutch wrōte mole

root

verb

(intr usually foll by for) informal to give support to (a contestant, team, etc), as by cheering

Derived Formsrooter, noun

Word Origin for root

C19: perhaps a variant of Scottish rout to make a loud noise, from Old Norse rauta to roar

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for rooting

root

"underground part of a plant," late Old English rot, from a Scandinavian source akin to Old Norse rot "root," figuratively "cause, origin," from Proto-Germanic *wrot (cf. Old English wyrt "root, herb, plant," Old High German wurz, German Wurz "a plant," Gothic waurts "a root," with characteristic Scandinavian loss of -w- before -r-), from PIE *wrad- (see radish (n.), and cf. wort). The usual Old English words for "root" were wyrttruma and wyrtwala.

Figurative use is from c.1200. Of teeth, hair, etc., from early 13c. Mathematical sense is from 1550s. Philological sense from 1520s. Slang meaning "penis" is recorded from 1846. In U.S. black use, "a spell effected by magical properties of roots," 1935. To take root is from 1530s. Root beer, made from the extracts of various roots, first recorded 1841, American English; root doctor is from 1821. Root cap is from 1875.

root

v.1

"dig with the snout," 1530s, from Middle English wroten "dig with the snout," from Old English wrotan "to root up," from Proto-Germanic *wrot- (cf. Old Norse rota, Swedish rota "to dig out, root," Middle Low German wroten, Middle Dutch wroeten, Old High German ruozian "to plow up"), from PIE root *wrod- "to root, gnaw."

Associated with the verb sense of root (n.). Extended sense of "poke about, pry" first recorded 1831. Phrase root hog or die "work or fail" first attested 1834, American English (in works of Davey Crockett, who noted it as an "old saying"). Reduplicated form rootin' tootin' "noisy, rambunctious" is recorded from 1875.

root

v.2

"cheer, support," 1889, American English, originally in a baseball context, probably from root (v.1) via intermediate sense of "study, work hard" (1856). Related: Rooted; rooting.

root

v.3

"fix or firmly attach by roots" (often figurative), early 13c., from root (n.); sense of "pull up by the root" (now usually uproot) also is from late 14c. Related: Rooted; rooting.

rooting in Medicine

root

[rōōt, rut]

n.

The embedded part of an organ or structure, such as a hair, tooth, or nerve, serving as a base or support.

A primary source; an origin; radix.

rooting in Science

root

[rōōt, rut]

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. See also fibrous root taproot.

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

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

Mathematics

A number that, when multiplied by itself a given number of times, produces a specified number. For example, since 2 X 2 X 2 X 2 = 16, 2 is a fourth root of 16.
A solution to an equation. For example, a root of the equation x2 - 4 = 0 is 2, since 22 - 4 = 0.

rooting in Culture

root

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.

root

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

Idioms and Phrases with rooting

root

In addition to the idioms beginning with root

root and branch
rooted to the spot
root for
root of the matter
root out

also see:

put down roots
take root