rootlet

American  

[root-lit, root-] / ˈrut lɪt, ˈrʊt- /

noun

Botany.

1. a little root.

2. a small or fine branch of a root.

3. one of the adventitious roots by which ivy or the like clings to rocks or other supports.

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rootlet British  

/ ˈruːtlɪt /

noun

1. a small root or branch of a root

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Etymology

Origin of rootlet

First recorded in 1785–95; root ¹ + -let

Example Sentences

I believe it was the last, deepest rootlet of my denial, expelled.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 16, 2019

A seed does not normally germinate until the rootlet of a suitable plant creeps close to it through the soil.

From Time Magazine Archive

It suits Tryon to imagine a great green heart beating slowly beneath the earth, with every rootlet and capillary in the village pulsing to it.

From Time Magazine Archive

I wouldn’t trade a single rootlet for any of it.

From "Wishtree" by Katherine Applegate

Every growing shoot of a great tree is continually describing small ellipses; the tip of every rootlet endeavours to do the same.

From Life of Charles Darwin by Bettany, G. T. (George Thomas)