Root

Pronunciation

• enPR: roÍžot, IPA: /ɹuːt/
• Midwestern US IPA: /ɹʊt/
• Rhymes: -uːt
• Homophones: route Northern US, Eastern US, Commonwealth, Canada

From Middle English root ("the underground part of a plant"), from late Old English rōt, from Old Norse rót (Icelandic rót), from Proto-Germanic *wrōts, from Proto-Indo-European *wréh₂ds ("root"); cognate with wort and radix.

Full definition of root

Noun

1. The part of a plant, generally underground, that absorbs water and nutrients.This tree's roots can go as deep as twenty metres underground.
2. A root vegetable.
• Orwell Animal Farm|6... two fields which should have been sown with roots in the early summer were not sown because the ploughing had not been completed early enough.
3. The part of a tooth extending into the bone holding the tooth in place.Root damage is a common problem of overbrushing.
4. The part of a hair under the skin that holds the hair in place.The root is the only part of the hair that is alive.
5. The part of a hair near the skin that has not been dyed, permed, or otherwise treated.He dyed his hair black last month, so the grey roots can be seen.
6. The primary source; origin.The love of money is the root of all evil.
• John LockeThey were the roots out of which sprang two distinct people.
7. (arithmetic) Of a number or expression, a number which, when raised to a specified power, yields the specified number or expression.The cube root of 27 is 3.
8. (arithmetic) A square root (understood if no power is specified; in which case, “the root of” is often abbreviated to “root”).Multiply by root 2.
9. (analysis) A zero (of a function).
10. (graph theory, computing) The single node of a tree that has no parent.
11. (linguistic morphology) The primary lexical unit of a word, which carries the most significant aspects of semantic content and cannot be reduced into smaller constituents. Inflectional stems often derive from roots.
12. (philology) A word from which another word or words are derived.
13. (music) The fundamental tone of any chord; the tone from whose harmonics, or overtones, a chord is composed.
14. The lowest place, position, or part.
• Miltondeep to the roots of hell
• Southeythe roots of the mountains
15. (computing) In UNIX terminology, the first user account with complete access to the operating system and its configuration, found at the root of the directory structure.
16. (computing) The person who manages accounts on a UNIX system.
17. (computing) The highest directory of a directory structure which may contain both files and subdirectories.

Synonyms

• (source) basis, origin, source
• (zero of a function) zero
• (word from which another is derived) etymon
• (Unix or Unix-like computer operating system administrator and/or account) superuser (), root account, root user

Holonyms

• (zero of a function) kernel

Derived terms

Verb

1. (computing, slang, transitive) To break into a computer system and obtain root access.We rooted his box and planted a virus on it.
2. To fix the root; to enter the earth, as roots; to take root and begin to grow.
• MortimerIn deep grounds the weeds root deeper.
3. To be firmly fixed; to be established.
• Bishop FellIf any irregularity chanced to intervene and to cause misapprehensions, he gave them not leave to root and fasten by concealment.

From Middle English wrōten ("to dig with the snout"), from Old English wrōtan, from Proto-Germanic *wrōtaną ("to dig out, to root"), from Proto-Indo-European *red- ("to scrape, to scratch, to gnaw"). Cognate with rodent. Cognate with Dutch wroeten.

Verb

1. (transitive) To turn up or dig with the snout.A pig roots the earth for truffles.
2. (by extension) To seek favour or advancement by low arts or grovelling servility; to fawn.
3. (intransitive) To rummage, to search as if by digging in soil.rooting about in a junk-filled drawer
4. (transitive) To root out; to abolish.
• ShakespeareI will go root away the noisome weeds.
• Bible, Deuteronomy xxix. 28The Lord rooted them out of their land ... and cast them into another land.
5. (Australia, New Zealand, vulgar, slang) To have sexual intercourse.

Usage notes

The Australian/New Zealand sexual sense is somewhat milder than fuck but still quite coarse, certainly not for polite conversation. The sexual sense will often be understood, unless care is taken with the context to make the rummage sense clear, or 'root through' or 'root around' is used. The past participle rooted is equivalent to fucked in the figurative sense of broken or tired, but rooting is only the direct verbal sense, not an all-purpose intensive like fucking.

Synonyms

• (rummage) dig out, root out, rummage
• (have sexual intercourse) screw, bang, drill US, shag British - See also

Derived terms

Noun

1. (Australia, New Zealand, vulgar, slang) An act of sexual intercourse.Fancy a root?
2. (Australia, New Zealand, vulgar, slang) A sexual partner.

Usage notes

The Australian/New Zealand sexual sense of root is somewhat milder than fuck but still quite coarse, certainly not for polite conversation. The normal usage is to have a root or similar.

Synonyms

• (act of sexual intercourse) screw UK, US, shag UK; see also
• (sexual partner) screw US

Possibly an alteration of rout ("to make a loud noise"), influenced by hoot

Verb

1. (intransitive, with for, US) To cheer to show support for. late 19th century
• 1908, Jack Norworth, Let me root, root, root for the home team,
2. (transitive, US) To hope for the success of. Rendered as 'root for'.I'm rooting for you, don't let me down!

Synonyms

• (cheer) barrack Britain, Australia, New Zealand, cheer on

Anagrams

• troo