roots

/ (ruːts) /

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adjective

(of popular music) going back to the origins of a style, esp in being genuine and unpretentiousroots rock

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Derived forms of roots

rootsy, adjective

Words nearby roots

root of unity, root out, root position, root pressure, root rot, roots, Roots blower, rootserver, roots music, rootstalk, rootstock

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

How to use roots in a sentence

To regain their relevancy, Democrats need to go back to their evolutionary roots.
Time to Bring Back the Truman Democrats|Joel Kotkin|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And then, at the close of our conversation, her punk roots reared their head like they had never disappeared.
A First Lady of Punk Rock Talks|Justin Jones|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is a reasonable assumption, considering his roots in the Republican Party, in the Marines, and his proud Scots-Irish roots.
Hillary Gets a Challenger and He’s a Marine|David Freedlander|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He made no bones about his great admiration for FDR, who was his mentor, and he had roots too in the Truman administration.
This Republican Loved Taxes & Modern Art|Scott Porch|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The roots of the violence can be found in the nearly six decades since Israel conquered Gaza and the West Bank.
The Radicals Who Slaughtered a Synagogue|Creede Newton|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Of course, considerations of weight have to be taken into account, but the more mould round the roots the better.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
The offspring of the ungodly shall not bring forth many branches, and make a noise as unclean roots upon the top of a rock.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
Yet without a large amount of their roots these Ferns can never be satisfactorily established.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
Great care is necessary when removing the Ferns to do as little damage as possible to the roots.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
First of all, wrap a portion of damp newspaper round the roots, and then tie up with dry paper.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin

Cultural definitions for 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.