15 entries found for root. The first 10 are listed below.
To select an entry, click on it.

root[1,noun] root[2,verb] root[3,verb] root[4,verb] aerial root cube root fibrous root prop root root beer root canal

Main Entry: ¹root
Pronunciation: rüt, rt
Function: noun
Etymology: Old English rt "root of a plant"; of Norse origin
1 a : the leafless usually underground part of a plant that absorbs water and minerals, stores food, and holds the plant in place b : an underground plant part especially when fleshy and edible
2 a : the part of a tooth within the socket b : the base or end of a bodily part (as a hair or a fingernail) or the part by which it is attached to the body
3 a : an original cause : SOURCE <the roots of evil> b : the ancestors of a person or a group of persons <people tracing their roots> c : something that lies under and supports <the roots of a mountain chain> d : ¹CORE 1, heart <get to the root of the problem> e : a special relationship with a social environment <has roots deep in Southern life>
4 a : a number that when multiplied by itself a given number of times equals a specified number <2 is a 4th root of 16 because 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 16> b : a solution of a polynomial equation with one unknown <(x + 1) (x - 1) = 0 has the roots x = -1 and x = 1>
5 : a word or part of a word from which other words are formed <"butler" and "bottle" come from the same Latin root> <"hold" is the root of "holder">
- root·ed /-d/ adjective
- root·less /-ls/ adjective
- root·like /-lk/ adjective

Pronunciation Symbols