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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

“I just looked at it and thought, ’I want to put down roots; I want to have a family,’” she shared.

From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026

Oceanwide’s roots stretch back to the Plancius Foundation, a Dutch research program formed in the 1980s that conducted annual expeditions to Svalbard, the Norwegian archipelago where Longyearbyen is located.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026

There was a 12-piece jazz band, Wilson told the fashion publication, and a Cajun meal that reflected her Louisiana roots.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026

"I am really proud to be able to share that, because sharing my roots is something I do across all my music."

From BBC • May 14, 2026

As they walked through the groves, Danny kept tripping on stray roots.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova