Root | Mean of root in English Dictionary

/ˈruːt/

• Noun
• the part of a plant that grows underground, gets water from the ground, and holds the plant in place
1. Elm trees have shallow roots.
2. Pull weeds up by the roots so that they don't grow back.
• the part of a tooth, hair, fingernail, etc., that is attached to the body
1. You can tell that she dyes her hair blonde because her dark roots are showing.
• the cause or source of something
1. He believes that money is the root of all evil. [=money causes people to do bad things]
2. We need to get to the root of the problem. = We need to get to the root cause of the problem.
3. Simple greed was at the root of the robbery. [=was the reason for the robbery]

• the origin of something
1. Rock-and-roll music has its roots in blues music. [=rock-and-roll music originated/developed from blues music]
• the family history of a person or a group of people
1. They have traced their roots [=ancestry] back several generations.
• a special connection to something
1. She's a dedicated teacher with roots in the community.
2. His family has roots in the New York theater scene.
3. a novelist with roots deep in Southern life
• a number that is multiplied by itself a certain number of times to produce another number
1. 2 is the 4th root of 16. [=2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 16]
• a word from which other words are formed
1. “Butler” and “bottle” come from the same Latin root.
2. “Hold” is the root of “holder.”
• to become a member of a community and begin to feel that it is your home
1. The family put down roots in New England. [=they made New England their home]
• complete or thorough
1. a root and branch overhaul of local schools
• completely or thoroughly
1. The laws were reformed root and branch.
• to grow and develop roots
1. There isn't enough time for the grass to take root before winter.
• to begin to develop
1. The classroom should be a place where creativity can take root and flourish.
2. It was years before democratic ideals took root in that part of the world.
• Verb
• to grow and develop roots
1. The plants had difficulty rooting in the poor soil.
• to make (a plant) grow and develop roots
1. She rooted the seedlings in pots before planting them in the garden.
2. The lichen rooted itself to the rock.
3. The lichen was rooted to the rock.
• to make (someone) unable to move
1. Fear rooted me to my chair.
2. I was rooted to my chair by/with fear.
• to form, make, or develop (something) by using (something) as a basis
1. He roots his art in reality. [=bases his art on the real world]
2. His art is rooted in reality.
3. Her opinions are deeply rooted in her faith.
4. a dance rooted in African tradition
• to search for something by moving around or by turning things over
1. We rooted through the desk drawers for the phone bill.
2. She rooted around in her purse to find her keys.
3. I think I'll root around for some leftovers in the fridge.
• to look for food under the ground by digging with the nose
1. a rooting pig
• to find and remove (something or someone)
1. The mayor was determined to root out corruption in city government.
• to find (something or someone) after searching for a long time
1. He finally rooted out the cause of the problem.
• to express or show support for (a person, a team, etc.)
1. They always root for the home team.
2. We're rooting for the underdog.
3. Remember that we're all rooting for you. [=we all want to see you succeed]
• to help (someone or something) to win or succeed by expressing or showing strong support
1. The team is playing for the championship tomorrow, and thousands of fans will be there to root them on.
2. Her friends and family were there to root her on to victory.