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• roots
  roots

  adjective

  (of popular music) going back to the origins of a style, esp in being genuine and unpretentious
• Roots
  Roots

  (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.

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

Although set in a Dublin pub, the stage version of Once has distinctly Scottish roots.

From BBC • May 24, 2026

On a recent day, Burnham, 56, walked around town in the rain, talking up his local roots with voters.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026

“We have such deep roots in our local communities and we know all those communities know best the stories they can tell. I think that’s something that only public media can do.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

Much of that technology has roots in the 2024 acquisition of two companies, Morton Photonics and SiNoptiq, which added over 40 foundational patents to the company’s portfolio.

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

His plan decided, Jonathan started back around the roots.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret