Hooked Media

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root


Main Entry: 1root
Pronunciation: \ˈrüt, ˈrt\
Function: noun
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English rōt, from Old Norse; akin to Old English wyrt root, Latin radix, Greek rhiza
Date: 12th century

1 a : the usually underground part of a seed plant body that originates usually from the hypocotyl, functions as an organ of absorption, aeration, and food storage or as a means of anchorage and support, and differs from a stem especially in lacking nodes, buds, and leaves b : any subterranean plant part (as a true root or a bulb, tuber, rootstock, or other modified stem) especially when fleshy and edible
2 a : the part of a tooth within the socket; also : any of the processes into which this part is often divided — see tooth illustration b : the enlarged basal part of a hair within the skin c : the proximal end of a nerve d : the part of an organ or physical structure by which it is attached to the body <the root of the tongue>
3 a : something that is an origin or source (as of a condition or quality) <the love of money is the root of all evil — 1 Timothy 6:10(Authorized Version)> b : one or more progenitors of a group of descendants —usually used in plural c : an underlying support : basis d : the essential core : heart —often used in the phrase at root e : close relationship with an environment : tie —usually used in plural <they put down roots in a farming community>
4 a : a quantity taken an indicated number of times as an equal factor <2 is a fourth root of 16> b : a number that reduces an equation to an identity when it is substituted for one variable
5 a : the lower part : base b : the part by which an object is attached to something else
6 : the simple element inferred as the basis from which a word is derived by phonetic change or by extension (as composition or the addition of an affix or inflectional ending)
7 : the lowest tone of a chord (as C in a C minor chord) when the tones are arranged in ascending thirds

synonyms see origin

root·ed \ˈrü-təd, ˈr-\ adjective

root·ed·ness noun

root·less \ˈrüt-ləs, ˈrt-\ adjective

root·less·ness noun

root·like \-ˌlīk\ adjective


Learn more about "root" and related topics at Britannica.com


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