root meaning and definition

ROOT noun

Definition of root (noun)

1. (botany) the usually underground organ that lacks buds or leaves or nodes; absorbs water and mineral salts; usually it anchors the plant to the ground
2. the place where something begins, where it springs into being
   • "the Italian beginning of the Renaissance"; "Jupiter was the origin of the radiation"; "Pittsburgh is the source of the Ohio River"; "communism's Russian root"
   • synonyms: beginning, origin, rootage, source
3. (linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed
   • "thematic vowels are part of the stem"
   • synonyms: base, radical, root word, stem, theme
4. a number that, when multiplied by itself some number of times, equals a given number
5. the set of values that give a true statement when substituted into an equation
   • synonyms: solution
6. someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent)
   • synonyms: ancestor, antecedent, ascendant, ascendent
   • antonym: descendant
7. a simple form inferred as the common basis from which related words in several languages can be derived by linguistic processes
   • synonyms: etymon
8. the part of a tooth that is embedded in the jaw and serves as support
   • synonyms: tooth root

ROOT verb

Definition of root (verb)

1. take root and begin to grow
   • "this plant roots quickly"
2. come into existence, originate
   • "The problem roots in her depression"
3. plant by the roots
4. dig with the snout
   • "the pig was rooting for truffles"
   • synonyms: rootle, rout
5. become settled or established and stable in one's residence or life style
   • "He finally settled down"
   • synonyms: settle, settle down, steady down, take root
6. cause to take roots