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

Edwards’ L.A. roots were critical to his identity as an artist.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

He owns two grocery shops in Dubai and said his roots are now firmly established in the city.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries, whose roots go back to 1886, is worth roughly $16 billion, including cash and debt, according to FactSet.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

The force believed the woman was in her mid to late teens, with green eyes and brown hair, with darker roots and blond ends.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

Early in his ushering days, he’d found that if he was careful about the roots, he could successfully transplant any mushroom from Deadwood into his garden.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman