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 illustrationb: 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 :basisd: the essential core :heart —often used in the phrase at roote: 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 :baseb: 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
