1. n. & v.
--n.
1. a the part of a plant normally below the ground, attaching it to the earth and conveying nourishment to it from the soil. b (in pl.) such a part divided into branches or fibres. c the corresponding organ of an epiphyte; the part attaching ivy to its support. d the permanent underground stock of a plant. e any small plant with a root for transplanting.
2 a any plant, e.g. a turnip or carrot, with an edible root. b such a root.
3 (in pl.) the sources of or reasons for one's long-standing emotional attachment to a place, community, etc.
4 a the embedded part of a bodily organ or structure, e.g. hair, tooth, nail, etc. b the part of a thing attaching it to a greater or more fundamental whole. c (in pl.) the base of a mountain etc.
5 a the basic cause, source, or origin (love of money is the root of all evil; has its roots in the distant past). b (attrib.) (of an idea etc.) from which the rest originated.
6 the basis of something, its means of continuance or growth (has its root(s) in selfishness; has no root in the nature of things).
7 the essential substance or nature of something (get to the root of things).
8 Math. a a number or quantity that when multiplied by itself a usu. specified number of times gives a specified number or quantity (the cube root of eight is two). b a square root. c a value of an unknown quantity satisfying a given equation.
9 Philol. any ultimate unanalysable element of language; a basis, not necessarily surviving as a word in itself, on which words are made by the addition of prefixes or suffixes or by other modification.
10 Mus. the fundamental note of a chord.
11 Bibl. a scion, an offshoot (there shall be a root of Jesse).
12 Austral. & NZ coarse sl. a an act of sexual intercourse. b a (female) sexual partner.
--v.
1. a intr. take root or grow roots. b tr. cause to do this (take care to root them firmly).
2 tr. a fix firmly; establish (fear rooted him to the spot). b (as rooted adj.) firmly established (her affection was deeply rooted; rooted objection to).
3 tr. (usu. foll. by out, up) drag or dig up by the roots.
4 tr. Austral. coarse sl. a have sexual intercourse with (a woman). b exhaust, frustrate.
Phrases and idioms:
pull up by the roots
1. uproot.
2 eradicate, destroy. put down roots 1 begin to draw nourishment from the soil.
2 become settled or established. root and branch thorough(ly), radical(ly). root beer US an effervescent drink made from an extract of roots. root-mean-square Math. the square root of the arithmetic mean of the squares of a set of values. root out find and get rid of. root sign Math. radical sign. strike at the root (or roots) of set about destroying.
strike (or take) root
1. begin to grow and draw nourishment from the soil.
2 become fixed or established.
Derivatives:
rootage n. rootedness n. rootless adj. rootlet n. rootlike adj. rooty adj.
Etymology: OE rot f. ON r{oacute}t, rel. to WORT & L radix: see RADIX 2. v.
1. a intr. (of an animal, esp. a pig) turn up the ground with the snout, beak, etc., in search of food. b tr. (foll. by up) turn up (the ground) by rooting.
2 a intr. (foll. by around, in, etc.) rummage. b tr. (foll. by out or up) find or extract by rummaging.
3 intr. (foll. by for) US sl. encourage by applause or support.
Derivatives:
rooter n. (in sense 3).
Etymology: earlier wroot f. OE wrotan & ON r{oacute}ta: rel. to OE wrot snout