I. root 1 S2 W2 /ruːt/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1100-1200 ; Language: Old Norse ; Origin: rot ]
1 . PLANT the part of a plant or tree that grows under the ground and gets water from the soil:
tree roots
These plants produce a number of thin roots.
⇨ ↑ root crop , ↑ root vegetable
2 . CAUSE OF A PROBLEM the main cause of a problem
be/lie at the root of something (=be the cause of something)
Allergies are at the root of a lot of health problems.
The love of money is the root of all evil.
A competent mechanic should be able to get to the root of the problem (=find out the cause of a problem) .
the root causes of crime
3 . ORIGIN/MAIN PART the origin or main part of something such as a custom, law, activity etc, from which other things have developed
root in
a legal system with roots in English common law
Jazz has its roots in the folk songs of the southern states of the US.
be/lie at the root of something
the liberal economic policies which lie at the root of American power
4 . FAMILY CONNECTION sb’s roots your relation to a place because you were born there, or your family used to live there:
immigrants keeping in touch with their cultural roots
Alex Haley’s story about his search for his roots became a bestseller.
5 . put down roots if you put down roots somewhere, you start to feel that a place is your home and to have relationships with the people there:
Because of her husband’s job, they’d moved too often to put down roots anywhere.
6 . TOOTH/HAIR ETC the part of a tooth, hair etc that connects it to the rest of your body:
She’d pulled some of Kelly’s hair out by the roots.
7 . take root
a) if an idea, method, activity etc takes root, people begin to accept or believe it, or it begins to have an effect:
Economists believe that economic recovery will begin to take root next year.
b) if a plant takes root, it starts to grow where you have planted it
8 . have a (good) root round British English informal to search for something by moving other things around
9 . LANGUAGE technical the basic part of a word which shows its main meaning, to which other parts can be added. For example, the word ‘coldness’ is formed from the root ‘cold’ and the ↑ suffix ‘ness’. ⇨ stem
10 . MATHEMATICS technical a number that, when multiplied by itself a certain number of times, equals the number that you have:
2 is the fourth root of 16.
11 . root and branch if you destroy or change something root and branch, you get rid of it or change it completely and permanently because it is bad:
a root and branch reform of the electoral system
⇨ ↑ cube root , ↑ square root , ↑ grass roots
• • •
THESAURUS
■ where something comes from
▪ origin/origins the place or situation in which something begins to exist:
the origins of the conflict in the Middle East
|
The book explains the origin of words.
|
Her disability is genetic in origin.
▪ source the thing, place etc that you get something from:
They get their money from various sources.
|
Beans are a good source of protein.
▪ root the root of a problem is the main cause. The roots of something are the things that it was originally based on:
Allergies are at the root of a lot of health problems.
|
At the root of the crisis was a shortage of hard cash.
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They want a return to the roots of Christianity.
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Reggae has its roots in a range of different musical styles.
▪ the birthplace of something the place where something first started to exist:
New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz.
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Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee
▪ the cradle of something the place where something important first started – used mainly in the following phrases:
Ancient Athens is considered to be the cradle of democracy.
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Baghdad was the cradle of civilization.
▪ starting point an idea, suggestion etc from which a discussion, process, or project can develop:
His paper provided an excellent starting point for discussion.
II. root 2 BrE AmE verb
[ Sense 1-2, 4-5: Date: 1200-1300 ; Origin: ⇨ ↑ root 1 ]
[ Sense 3: Language: Old English ; Origin: wrotan . root for 1800-1900 Perhaps from rout (of cattle) 'to make a loud sound' (14-19 centuries) , from Old Norse rauta ]
1 . PLANT
a) [intransitive] to grow roots:
New shrubs will root easily in summer.
b) [transitive usually passive] if a plant is rooted somewhere, it is held in the ground firmly by its roots:
a bush firmly rooted in the hard ground
root itself
Clumps of thyme had rooted themselves between the rocks.
2 . be rooted in something to have developed from something and be strongly influenced by it:
The country’s economic troubles are rooted in a string of global crises.
This feeling of rejection is often deeply rooted in childhood.
3 . SEARCH [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to search for something by moving things around SYN rummage
root through/in/amongst something (for something)
Leila rooted through her handbag for a pen.
4 . PIGS [intransitive usually + adverb/preposition] if a pig roots somewhere, it looks for food under the ground
root for
pigs rooting for truffles
5 . rooted to the spot/floor/ground etc so shocked, surprised, or frightened that you cannot move:
She stood rooted to the spot, staring at him.
root for somebody phrasal verb informal
1 . to want someone to succeed in a competition, test, or difficult situation:
You can do it – I’m rooting for you.
2 . especially American English to support a sports team or player by shouting and cheering:
the Los Angeles fans rooting for the Lakers
root something ↔ out phrasal verb
1 . to find out where a particular kind of problem exists and get rid of it:
Action is being taken to root out corruption in the police force.
2 . to find something by searching for it:
I’ll try and root out something for you to wear.
root something ↔ up phrasal verb
to dig or pull a plant up with its roots