Definition of 'root'
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present
tense roots
, present participle rooting
, past tense, past participle rooted
1. countable noun [usually plural]
The roots of a plant are the parts of it that grow under the ground.
...the twisted roots of an apple tree.
2. verb
3. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
...root crops such as carrots and potatoes.
4. countable noun
5. plural noun [usually poss NOUN]
6. uncountable noun [oft NOUN noun]
Roots is used to refer to pop
music,
especially
reggae, that is strongly
influenced by the
traditional music of the culture that it
originally
came from.
...mixing older Jamaican styles such as bluebeat and ska with roots reggae and dub.
7. countable noun
You can refer to the cause of a
problem or of an
unpleasant
situation as the root of it or the roots of it.
We got to the root of the problem.
[+ of]
This lack of recognition was at the root of the dispute.
His sense of guilt had its roots in his childhood loss of his younger sister.
They were treating symptoms and not the root cause.
8. countable noun
The root of a word is the part that contains its meaning and to which other parts can be
added.
[technical] The word 'secretary' comes from the same Latin root as the word 'secret'.
9. verb
If you root through or in something, you search for something by moving other things around.
She rooted through the bag, found what she wanted, and headed toward the door.
[VERB preposition]
Dogs root in the debris at the roadside.
[VERB preposition]
10. See also
rooted,
cube root,
grass roots,
square root
11.
See
root and branch
12.
See
put down roots
13.
See
take root
Phrasal verbs:
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Image of
root
© SeDmi, shutterstock
Video: pronunciation of
root
Word Frequency
root in British English 1
noun
2.
3.
a.
your analysis strikes at the root of the problem
b.
(as modifier)
the root cause of the problem
6. (plural)
a person's
sense of
belonging in a
community, place, etc, esp the one in which he or she was born or
brought up
7.
an
ancestor or
antecedent
9.
the form of a
word that
remains after
removal of all
affixes; a
morpheme with
lexical
meaning that is not further
subdivisible into other morphemes with lexical meaning
Compare
stem1 (sense 9)10. mathematics
a number or
quantity that when
multiplied by itself a certain number of times
equals a
given number or quantity
3 is a cube root of 27
11. Also called: solution mathematics
2 is a root of x3 – 2x – 4 = 0
14.
root and branch
verb
18. Australian and New Zealand vulgar, slang
to have sexual intercourse (with)
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
rooter (ˈrooter) noun
rootlike (ˈrootˌlike)
adjective
rooty (ˈrooty)
adjective
rootiness (ˈrootiness)
noun
Word origin
Old English rōt, from Old Norse; related to Old English wyrt wortWord Frequency
root in British English 2
verb (intransitive)
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
rooter (ˈrooter) noun
Word origin
C16: changed (through influence of root1) from earlier wroot, from Old English wrōtan; related to Old English wrōt snout, Middle Dutch wrōte mole
Word Frequency
root in British English 3
verb
(intransitive; usually foll by for) informal
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
rooter (ˈrooter) noun
Word origin
C19: perhaps a variant of Scottish rout to make a loud noise, from Old Norse rauta to roar
Word Frequency
root in American English 1
noun
1.
4.
the source, origin, or cause of an
action, quality, condition, etc.
5.
a person or family that has many descendants; ancestor
6. [pl.]
the
close
ties one has with some place or people as through
birth,
upbringing, long and
sympathetic
association, etc.
9. Ancient Mathematics
a.
a quantity that, multiplied by itself a
specified number of times, produces a given quantity
4 is the square root (4 × 4) of 16 and the cube root (4 × 4 × 4) of 64
verb transitive
14.
to fix the roots of in the ground
15.
to establish; settle
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈorigin
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
ME rote < Late OE < ON rot, akin to OE wyrt, Ger wurzel < IE base *wrād-, twig, root > Gr rhiza, L radix, root, ramus, branch
Word Frequency
root in American English 2
verb transitive
1.
verb intransitive
2.
to dig in the ground, as with the snout
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
rooter (ˈrooter)
noun
Word origin
formerly also wrote, rout < ME wroten < OE wrotan, to root up < wrot, snout < IE base *wer-, to tear up > L rostrum, beak
Word lists with
root
terms used in botany,
parts of plantsQuick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
Which part of a plant am I?
a ring of bracts at the base of an inflorescence in such plants as the composites
Which part of a plant am I?
a fine powdery substance produced by the anthers of seed-bearing plants, consisting of numerous fine grains containing the male gametes
Which part of a plant am I?
any of the hollow hairlike outgrowths of the outer cells of a root, just behind the tip, that absorb water and salts from the soil
Which part of a plant am I?
a mass of cohering pollen grains, produced by plants such as orchids and transported as a whole during pollination
Which part of a plant am I?
the carpels of a flowering plant collectively
Your score:
Trends of
root
View usage for:
In other languages
root
British English: root
/ruːt/ NOUN
The roots of a plant are the parts that grow underground.
...the twisted roots of an apple tree.
- American English: root
- Arabic: جِذْر
- Brazilian Portuguese: raiz
- Chinese: 根
- Croatian: korijen
- Czech: kořen
- Danish: rod
- Dutch: wortel
- European Spanish: raíz
- Finnish: juuri
- French: racine
- German: Wurzel
- Greek: ρίζα
- Italian: radice
- Japanese: 根
- Korean: 뿌리
- Norwegian: rot
- Polish: korzeń
- European Portuguese: raiz
- Romanian: rădăcină
- Russian: корень
- Latin American Spanish: raíz
- Swedish: rot
- Thai: ราก
- Turkish: kök
- Ukrainian: корінь
- Vietnamese: rễ cây
British English: root ADJECTIVE
Root vegetables or root crops are grown for their roots which are large and can be eaten.
...root crops such as carrots and potatoes.
- American English: root
- Brazilian Portuguese: tuberculoso
- Chinese: 块根的
- European Spanish: de tubérculo
- French: à turbercules
- German: Wurzel-
- Italian: che consiste nella radice
- Japanese: 根菜の
- Korean: 뿌리의
- European Portuguese: tuberculoso
- Latin American Spanish: de tubérculo
British English: root VERB
plant If you root a plant or cutting or if it roots, roots form on the bottom of its stem and it starts to grow.
Most plants will root in about six to eight weeks.
- American English: root
- Brazilian Portuguese: enraizar
- Chinese: 生根
- European Spanish: echar raíces
- French: s'enraciner
- German: Wurzeln schlagen
- Italian: attecchire
- Japanese: 根づかせる/根づく
- Korean: 뿌리가 나다
- European Portuguese: enraizar
- Latin American Spanish: echar raíces
British English: root VERB
search If you root through or in something, you search for something by moving other things around.
She rooted through the bag, found what she wanted, and headed toward the door.
Nearby words of
root
Source
Definition of root from the
Collins English Dictionary
Quick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
boy or buoy?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
buoy
boy
We moored the boat to an orange .
boar or bore?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
bore
boar
It’s such a to be sick.
censor or sensor?
Which version is correct?
taken or took?
Which version is correct?
hangar or hanger?
Which version is correct?
Your score:
Word of the day
pargasite
a dark green inosilicate mineral, named after Pargas in Finland where it was first described in 1814
Latest Word Submissions
self-isolation
Jan 31, 2020
centibillionaire
Jan 31, 2020
wet market
Jan 31, 2020
Brexit Day
Jan 31, 2020
Unlock language with the Paul Noble method
No books. No rote memorization. No chance of failure. Your chance to have a one-to-one lesson with best-selling language expert Paul Noble, try a FREE audio sample of his brand new Mandarin Chinese course.
Read more
The evolution of English
Last month saw the publication of the new fourth edition of the Collins COBUILD English Usage, an in-depth guide to modern and authentic English. To celebrate this event, we thought we’d look at some of the ways in which English usage is evolving in today’s world.
Read more
Collins English Dictionary Apps
Download our English Dictionary apps - available for both iOS and Android.
Read more
Collins Dictionaries for Schools
Our new online dictionaries for schools provide a safe and appropriate environment for children. And best of all it's ad free, so sign up now and start using at home or in the classroom.
Read more
Word lists
We have almost 200 lists of words from topics as varied as types of butterflies, jackets, currencies, vegetables and knots!
Amaze your friends with your new-found knowledge!
Read more
Learning English: Making suggestions when travelling
Take a boat? Stay overnight somewhere? This article looks at some useful phrases you can use when discussing options about what to do when travelling.
Read more
13th edition of the Collins Dictionary out now!
Updated with all the very latest new words and senses, this new 13th edition is an unparalleled resource for word lovers, word gamers, and word geeks everywhere.
#homeoflivingenglish
Read more
New collocations added to dictionary
Collocations are words that are often used together and are brilliant at providing natural sounding language for your speech and writing.
Read more
Join the Collins community
All the latest wordy news, linguistic insights, offers and competitions every month.
Read more
Updating our Usage
There are many diverse influences on the way that English is used across the world today. We look at some of the ways in which the language is changing. Read our series of blogs to find out more.
Read more
Quick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
seam or seem?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
seem
seam
I to remember giving you very precise instructions.
team or teem?
Which version is correct?
root or route?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
root
route
We eventually got to the of the problem.
tear or tier?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
tear
tier
I didn't shed a single .
taken or took?
Which version is correct?
Your score: