roots Meaning, Definition & Usage
-
noun the condition of belonging to a particular place or group by virtue of social or ethnic or cultural lineage
- his roots in Texas go back a long way
- he went back to Sweden to search for his roots
- his music has African roots
-
noun (botany) the usually underground organ that lacks buds or leaves or nodes; absorbs water and mineral salts; usually it anchors the plant to the ground
root.
-
noun the place where something begins, where it springs into being
origin; root; beginning; rootage; source.
- the Italian beginning of the Renaissance
- Jupiter was the origin of the radiation
- Pittsburgh is the source of the Ohio River
- communism's Russian root
-
noun (linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed
root word; radical; stem; theme; base; root.
- thematic vowels are part of the stem
-
noun a number that, when multiplied by itself some number of times, equals a given number
root.
-
noun the set of values that give a true statement when substituted into an equation
root; solution.
-
noun someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent)
ascendent; antecedent; ancestor; ascendant; root.
-
noun a simple form inferred as the common basis from which related words in several languages can be derived by linguistic processes
etymon; root.
-
noun the part of a tooth that is embedded in the jaw and serves as support
root; tooth root.
-
verb take root and begin to grow
root.
- this plant roots quickly
-
verb come into existence, originate
root.
- The problem roots in her depression
-
verb plant by the roots
root.
-
verb dig with the snout
rout; root; rootle.
- the pig was rooting for truffles
-
verb become settled or established and stable in one's residence or life style
settle; root; take root; steady down; settle down.
- He finally settled down
-
verb cause to take roots
root.