Meaning & use
root
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Meanings
nouncountablebiology
The part of a plant that lies underground, holding it in place and taking in water.
Grammar: Plural is roots; also used for edible parts like carrots.
Patterns
- the root of a plant
The tree's roots broke through the pavement.
Water is absorbed through the fine hairs of the root.
Pull the weed up by its root.
nouncountablefigurative
The main cause or starting point of a problem or situation.
Grammar: Often 'the root of' or 'at the root of'.
Patterns
- the root of something
- at the root of something
Money is often at the root of family arguments.
We need to find the root of the problem.
The root cause of the delay was a faulty part.
nouncountablemedical
The part of a tooth, hair or nail that is fixed in the body.
Grammar: Used with body parts: the root of a tooth.
Patterns
- the root of a tooth
The dentist treated the infected root of the tooth.
The hair dye reached all the way to the roots.
nouncountabletechnical
A word part from which other words are formed, or the base form of a word.
Grammar: Used in word study: the Latin root 'port'.
Patterns
- the root of a word
The root 'port' means carry in 'transport' and 'import'.
Learning common roots helps you guess new words.
nouncountablemathematics
A number that gives a stated number when multiplied by itself, such as 3 for 9.
Grammar: Usually 'square root' or 'cube root'.
Patterns
- the square root of something
The square root of sixteen is four.
The equation has two real roots.
verbintransitive
To grow roots, or to become firmly fixed in a place.
Grammar: No object: the cutting rooted.
Patterns
- root in something
The cutting will root in a few weeks.
The idea quickly rooted in the community.
Word forms
| plural | roots |
|---|---|
| third person singular | roots |
| past tense | rooted |
| past participle | rooted |
| -ing form | rooting |
Common combinations
- root cause
- They looked for the root cause of the failure.
- take root
- New ideas took root in the town.
- square root
- What is the square root of 49?
- root vegetable
- Carrots and turnips are root vegetables.
- get to the root of
- The inspector is trying to get to the root of the leak.
Synonyms and how they differ
- origin
- Origin is the place or time something started, but root also suggests the cause that keeps it alive.
- source
- Source is where something flows from and can be neutral, while root often means a deep cause.
- basis
- Basis is the foundation of an argument or plan, not an underlying cause.
- cause
- Cause is the direct reason, whereas root implies the deepest or first one.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: root or route?
root vs route
Route sounds the same in American English but means a path or road to follow, not a cause or plant part.
Practice
'Poor communication is at the root of the problem.' What does root mean here?
Choose one answer.
Here root is figurative and means the underlying cause. The plant, number and word senses do not fit this sentence.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “root”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.