root

1 a point or place at which something is invented or provided he insists that insecurity is the root of all jealousy Synonyms of root cradle, font, fountain, fountainhead, origin, source, seedbed, spring, well, wellspringWords Related to root beginning, commencement, dawn, day one, genesis, get-go (also git-go), inception, incipience, incipiency, kickoff, launch, morning, nascence, nascency, onset, outset, start, threshold; baseline, first base, ground zero, square one

2 the source from which something grows or develops one would need to go back at least several hundred years to find the root of the entrenched hostility between the neighboring nations Synonyms of root fountainhead, germ, origin, seed, seedbedWords Related to root font, fountain, spring, well, wellhead, wellspring; beginning, birth, commencement, dawn, genesis, inception, incipiency, launch, morning, onset, outset, start, threshold; creation, inauguration, origination

3 an immaterial thing upon which something else rests an implicit trust in the wisdom of the people is the root of democracy Synonyms of root basis, bedrock, bottom, cornerstone, footing, foundation, ground, groundwork, keystone, base, underpinning, warp, warp and woofWords Related to root anchorage, bed, brace, bulwark, buttress, framework, infrastructure, mount, prop, shore, stay, substratum, substructure, support; assumption, justification, premise (also premiss), presumption, presupposition, rationale, supposition, theory, thesis, warrant; backbone, center, core, cornerstone, eye, focus, heart, hub, kernel, keystone, nucleus, seat; essence, quintessence, soul, touchstone

4 the central part or aspect of something under consideration at root, it's a question of the proper limits, if any, of free speech Synonyms of root bottom line, bull's-eye, centerpiece, core, essence, gist, heart, kernel, keynote, meat, meat and potatoes, net, nub, nubbin, nucleus, pith, pivot, point, crux, sumWords Related to root course, direction, drift, tenor; body, content, substance; hypothesis, proposition, purport, subject, theme, thesis

to set solidly in or as if in surrounding matter rooted the post securely in the dirt Synonyms of root bed, embed (also imbed), enroot, fix, impact, implant, ingrain (also engrain), lodge, entrenchWords Related to root imbue, infuse, instill; beat (into), drive (into); establish, place, put, settle, stickNear Antonyms of root eliminate, eradicate; eject, expel; detach, disconnect, disengage, removeAntonyms of root dislodge, entrench (out), uproot