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

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

JPMorgan has been looking to grow deeper roots in the cities and towns where it does business, rolling out specialty branches focused on community education for years.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

The team started by cutting the Bermuda grass, turning it over and letting it sit to kill the roots.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

The divide between the two giant AI companies—both are valued at more than $300 billion—has its roots in debates that Amodei and others had in a San Francisco townhouse a decade ago.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

Before she could respond, the tree roots shifted.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret