rootstock

noun

root·​stock ˈrüt-ˌstäk How to pronounce rootstock (audio)
ˈru̇t-
1
: a rhizomatous underground part of a plant
2
: a stock for grafting consisting of a root or a piece of root
broadly : stock sense 7b

Examples of rootstock in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
One of the great advances in apple breeding in the past few decades has been the widespread use of dwarf rootstocks. Laura Helmuth, Scientific American, 24 Oct. 2024 The majority of grapevines around the world, including in Europe, are grafted onto American rootstock, which is resistant to phylloxera. Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 27 Oct. 2024 Breeders can plant the trees closer together to make test plots more efficient, and boughs grafted to a dwarf rootstock start producing apples two to three years earlier than those grafted to a traditional rootstock. Laura Helmuth, Scientific American, 24 Oct. 2024 Occasionally the rootstock revolts, so to speak, and sends up its own shoots. Dawn Pettinelli, Hartford Courant, 29 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for rootstock 

Word History

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rootstock was in 1832

Dictionary Entries Near rootstock

Cite this Entry

“Rootstock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rootstock. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

rootstock

noun
root·​stock ˈrüt-ˌstäk How to pronounce rootstock (audio)
ˈru̇t-
1
2
: a root or part of a root to which an aboveground plant part is grafted

More from Merriam-Webster on rootstock

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