Definition of root - Reverso English Dictionary
Noun
1.
botanypart of a plant that absorbs nutrients
- The root of the tree spread wide underground.
2.
starting pointorigin or source of something
- The root of the problem was a lack of communication.
3.
mathematicsTECH. number that when multiplied by itself equals anotherTECH.
- The square root of 9 is 3.
4.
linguisticsTECH. base form of a word without affixesTECH.
- The root of 'running' is 'run'.
5.
anatomypart of a tooth or hair under the skin
- The dentist checked the root of the tooth for decay.
6.
culturesense of belonging or ancestry
- She felt a strong connection to her roots in Italy.
7.
technologyTECH. highest directory in a file systemTECH.
- The file was saved in the root directory.
8.
musicTECH. fundamental tone of a chordTECH.
- The root of the chord is C.
Verb
1.
supportintr. US cheer for a team or athleteintr. US
- Fans rooted for their team enthusiastically..
2.
settling inintr. become established firmlyintr.
- The tradition soon rooted in the village.
3.
hold tighttr. establish something firmlytr.
- Years of honesty rooted trust in the team.
4.
plantintr. grow roots and start to developintr.
- The cuttings will root in a few weeks.
5.
messy searchintr. UK search by moving things aroundintr. UK
- She rooted through her bag for the keys.
6.
animalintr. US dig with the snoutintr. US
- The pig rooted in the soil for food.
7.
technologytr./intr. TECH. gain privileged access to a systemtr./intr. TECH.
- He managed to root the phone.
Images of root
part of a plant that absorbs nutrients
Expressions with root
💡 Discover popular phrases, idioms, collocations, or phrasal verbs. Click any expression to learn more, listen to its pronunciation, or save it to your favorites.
show strong sympathy or alignment with a side
She always roots for the underdog in any situation.
remove completely by pulling out from the ground
Farmers had to root up old trees to plant new crops.
grow roots into soil
The saplings will take root in a few weeks.
search for something in a casual way
She rooted about in her bag for the keys.
primary cause of all negative things
Some say money is the root of all evil.
points to the origin of a problem or situation
Poverty is often at the root of social issues.
in a way that uncovers the basic cause
The detective worked well to get to the root of the mystery.
search through things in a disorganized way
She rooted around in her bag for the keys.
cheer for someone or something
We root on the runners in the marathon.
remove or eliminate completely
The government aims to root out corruption.
search through items to find something specific
She rooted through her bag to find her keys.
most important part of a problem or situation
We need to find the root of the matter quickly.
begin to grow roots in the soil
The seedlings will strike root in a few days.
root of the ginger plant used in food or medicine
Ginger root is used in tea and cooking.
carbonated drink made from roots and herbs
I love drinking root beer on hot days.
primary reason for a problem or situation
The root cause of the failure was a faulty component.
underground stem of ginger plant used in cooking
She added root ginger to the stir-fry.
vegetable with an edible root or tuber
Carrots are a popular root vegetable.
sweet beverage of root beer with a scoop of ice cream
After dinner, we enjoyed a refreshing root beer float..
underground part of turmeric plant used in cooking
She added turmeric root to the curry for flavor.
dental procedure treating tooth pulp infection
She had root canal work to save her tooth.
identify and remove the cause of an infection
The team aimed to root out the infection in the hospital.
basic improvement in an organization or process
The company underwent a root reform to enhance efficiency.
celery grown for its thick edible root
Root celery is often used in soups and stews.
Origin of root
Old Norse, rot (root)
Terms with root included in their meaning
💡 A powerful way to uncover related words, idioms, and expressions linked by the same idea — and explore meaning beyond exact word matches.
vegetable
orange root vegetable often eaten raw or cooked
culinary spice
spicy root used as a spice or flavoring
food
edible starchy tuber from a tropical root plant
seasoning
edible root-like spice used to flavor many cooked dishes
food
spicy condiment made from grated root
food
sweet made using extract from a plant root
cooking
spice made from dried ground ginger root
vegetable
long cream-colored root used as a vegetable
fundamental nature
in a way relating to the root or origin
crop
sweet swollen root vegetable harvested for food and sugar
leaves
leafy greens from a root vegetable eaten cooked or raw
ice cream float
dessert with root beer and vanilla ice cream
plants
plant of the mustard family with a pungent root
candy
sweet flavoring made from the dried root of a perennial plant
botany
cruciferous plant with a pungent edible root
vegetable
root vegetable with a rich red color
plant
tropical vine with edible tuberous root
establishment
become established or take root
daikon
long white root vegetable used in Asian dishes
cooking
white root of the turnip plant used in cooking
botany
plant with a large edible white or yellow root
edible root
starchy root from a desert plant often cooked like potatoes
botany
starchy tropical root vegetable commonly cooked and eaten as food
herbal medicine
medicinal root chewed or brewed to boost energy and health
Examples of root in a sentence
Nutrients travel from the root to the leaves. The root of her anxiety was unknown. They traced the root of the tradition. The equation has two real roots. Find the positive root of 49. In 'unhappiness', the root is 'happy'.
Linguists study the root to understand word origins. The hair root was damaged by the treatment. An infection had reached the tooth root. He explored his roots through family stories. The festival celebrated the roots of the community. Access the root to modify system files. The root contains all the essential folders. Musicians often start with the root in compositions. Identifying the root helps in chord progression. They rooted for their favorite player during the match. We always root for the home team. Distrust can root quickly in small teams. The tradition rooted deeply over time. Years of practice rooted discipline in the team. Fear can root prejudice in a community. These seedlings will root faster in moist soil. The gardener hopes the new plants will root by spring. He rooted around the attic for old photos. The dog rooted in the garden for its bone. The boar rooted around the forest floor. Wild hogs rooted through the underbrush. They rooted the server to install custom software. She rooted her tablet to access more features.
View all translations of root
Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
- French:racine, encourager, ...
- German:Wurzel, anfeuern, ...
- Italian:radice, tifare, ...
- Spanish:raíz, apoyar, ...
- Portuguese:raiz, torcer, ...
- Chinese:根, 支持, ...
- Japanese:根, 応援する, ...
- Arabic:جَذْر, شَجَّعَ, ...
- Hebrew:שֹׁרֶשׁ, לְעוֹדֵד, ...
- Russian:корень, болеть, ...
- Ukrainian:корінь, підтримувати, ...
- Hindi:जड़, समर्थन करना, ...
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