26984 words

root

16 definitions • 14 examples
1
the part of a plant that grows down into the earth to get water and food and holds the plant firm in the ground
2
the cause or origin of something bad:

Examples:

get to the root of We must get to the root of (= discover the cause of) this problem.
be/lie at the root of What is/lies at the root of the problem is their lack of interest.
root in The high crime rate has its roots in unemployment and poverty.
root cause So what's the root cause of his anxiety?
3

Examples:

trace its/your roots back to The city of Tours can trace its roots back to Roman times.
4
the part of a hair, tooth, or nail that is under the skin
5
The root of a word is its most basic form, to which other parts, such as affixes, can be added:

Examples:

The root of the word "sitting" is "sit".
7
A root of a particular number is another number that, when multiplied by itself one or more times, reaches that number:

Examples:

square/cube root The square root of 64 is 8, and the cube root of 64 is 4.
8
the basic note of a chord (= a group of notes played together), which tells you what chord it is:

Examples:

Now sing the root note of the chord you are playing.
The horns play the root of the chord.
9
to look for something by turning things over:

Examples:

root through/among She rooted through/among the papers on her desk.
root for The pigs rooted for acorns in the forest.
10
to grow roots:

Examples:

The trees failed to root and so died.
11
the part of a plant which grows down into the earth
12
The root of a hair, tooth, or nail is the part of it that is inside the body.
13
the origin or source of something:

Examples:

We must get to the root of this problem.
14
the basic form of a word, to which prefixes or endings can be added:

Examples:

The root of the word "sitting" is "sit."
15
a number that is the solution of an equation (= mathematical statement)
16
(of a plant) to develop roots and begin to grow

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