Definitions for (noun) root
Main entry: tooth root, root
Definition: the part of a tooth that is embedded in the jaw and serves as support
Main entry: stem, theme, base, root, root word, radical
Definition: (linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed
Usage: thematic vowels are part of the stem
Main entry: etymon, root
Definition: a simple form inferred as the common basis from which related words in several languages can be derived by linguistic processes
Main entry: root, solution
Definition: the set of values that give a true statement when substituted into an equation
Main entry: root, rootage, source, beginning, origin
Definition: the place where something begins, where it springs into being
Usage: 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
Main entry: ancestor, antecedent, ascendant, ascendent, root
Definition: someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent)
Main entry: root
Definition: (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
Main entry: root
Definition: a number that, when multiplied by itself some number of times, equals a given number
Definitions for (verb) root
Main entry: root
Definition: take root and begin to grow
Usage: this plant roots quickly
Main entry: root
Definition: cause to take roots
Main entry: settle, settle down, root, take root, steady down
Definition: become settled or established and stable in one’s residence or life style
Usage: He finally settled down
Main entry: root, rootle, rout
Definition: dig with the snout
Usage: the pig was rooting for truffles
Main entry: root
Definition: plant by the roots
Main entry: root
Definition: come into existence, originate
Usage: The problem roots in her depression
Recent Examples on the Web
New Mexico’s Spaceport America traces its roots to the Ansari X Prize, a late-1990s contest with a $10 million award for the first private company to launch a reusable crewed vehicle into space twice in two weeks.
Mike Bezemek, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 June 2023
While the populations of cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City dipped, other less expensive cities saw an influx of new residents excited to put down roots.
Nina Derwin, Redbook, 14 June 2023
This melding of physicality and levity through mediums with domestic roots was the thesis for Nina Johnson’s group show of new work by four female artists.
Elle Decor Editors, ELLE Decor, 13 June 2023
Still, your motivation—which, remember, is the root of each Enneagram type—will remain that of a four.
Addison Aloian, Women’s Health, 11 June 2023
Honey helps to soften and smooth hair and nettle root gives strands a healthy sheen, while helping enhance curl shape.
Jacqueline Saguin, goodhousekeeping.com, 10 June 2023
With an emphasis on its New York roots, quality ingredients, handcrafted approach, organic growth, and reasonable pricing, ALB Vodka is well on its way to transforming Albany just how Tito’s helped transform Austin.
Jon Stojan, USA TODAY, 9 June 2023
Aim to create divisions with at least 3 leaves and accompanying roots.
Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 June 2023
One significant method of studying birds, banding, has deep roots and is still popular today.
Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 June 2023
But other towns and cities in majority-rural states are refusing to give in, returning instead to the ideals in which Pride was originally rooted: dissent, disruption, and visibility.
Jason Kyle Howard, The New Republic, 25 June 2023
Yet through it all, Foxx is able to hold his own and keep the audience rooting squarely for him in a performance that is consistently reserved, quiet, and understated.
Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 24 June 2023
Today, though high up in her treehouse, both feet are rooted firmly in place.
Oliver Cano, ELLE Decor, 23 June 2023
But she’s also rooted that story to a very specific historical moment of cultural upheaval, after the Celtic Tiger crashed and the only thing the Irish economy seemed able to produce was a surfeit of gloom.
Ron Charles, Washington Post, 20 June 2023
The way Alyan fractures the narrative across time and place, while deeply rooting us in the hearts of one family, was an inspiration for my novel.
The Week Staff, The Week, 5 June 2023
Nihohae’s teeth, on the other hand, were rooted and couldn’t grow endlessly.
Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 June 2023
In fact, the importance of these flags is rooted less in the final product and more in the creation process.
Aryelle Siclait, Women’s Health, 7 June 2023
Clueless, Amy Heckerling’s satire that reimagines the characters from Jane Austen’s Emma as posh Beverly Hills teenagers, is rooted firmly in that second camp.
Deanna Janes, Harper’s BAZAAR, 30 May 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘root.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
