/red"rooht', -root'/ , n.
1. a North American plant, Lachnanthes caroliniana (or L. tinctoria ), having sword-shaped leaves, woolly, yellowish flowers, and a red root.
2. any of various other plants having red roots, as the alkanet, Alkanna tinctoria, pigweed, Amaranthus retroflexus, and New Jersey tea, Ceanothus americanus.
[ 1700-10, Amer.; RED 1 + ROOT 1 ]