root

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 roacutet, 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 roacuteta: rel. to OE wrot snout