root

/ruːt/
adjective
  1. Being the most basic or fundamental.
    • Trust is the root element of any strong relationship.
    • We need to address the root issues in the system.
    • The root cause of the accident was a mechanical failure.
verb
  1. To cheer or support someone or something enthusiastically.
    • The crowd rooted for the home team during the final match.
    • I always root for the underdog in competitions.
    • Her family rooted for her as she crossed the finish line.
  2. To dig or search for something by turning over soil or other material.
    • The pig rooted through the mud looking for food.
    • The dog rooted in the garden, digging up a bone.
    • He rooted around in the drawer for a pen.
  3. To cause a plant to grow roots or to become established.
    • The seedlings began to root in the rich soil.
    • You can root a cutting from a rose bush in water.
    • It takes time for a new lawn to root properly.
noun
  1. The part of a plant that grows underground, absorbs water and nutrients, and holds the plant in place.
    • Carrots are a type of root that people eat.
    • Water the plant deeply so the roots can reach the moisture.
    • The tree's roots spread wide beneath the soil.
  2. The basic cause, source, or origin of something.
    • Her love of music has its roots in childhood piano lessons.
    • Lack of communication is often the root of many arguments.
    • We need to get to the root of the problem to solve it.
  3. The part of a word that carries its core meaning, to which prefixes and suffixes are added.
    • Learning Latin roots can help you understand new vocabulary.
    • The word 'unhappiness' has the root 'happy'.
    • The root 'dict' means 'to say' in words like 'predict' and 'dictate'.
  4. A number that, when multiplied by itself a certain number of times, equals a given number.
    • In math class, we learned how to find the cube root of 27.
    • He calculated the root of the equation using a formula.
    • The square root of 9 is 3.
What does "root" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean