noun root The part of a plant, generally underground, which absorbs water and nutrients Source The love of money is the root of all evil (mathematics) A number which, raised to a given power, yields a desired number ''The cube root of 27 is 3 (mathematics) A designated node in a tree (philology) A word from which another word is derived. roots Ancestors I have both Irish and German roots Beginnings Jazz has its roots in blues adjective rooted Fixed to the ground; immobile She stayed rooted in place rootsy Unadorned, suggestive of earlier times Their playing has a fresh but rootsy feel. intransitive verb to root for To encourage a favored person, team or result I'm rooting for my cousin's team I'm rooting for a happy ending to this story to take root To grow roots into new soil To become established The new regulations have yet to take root to root about (of a pig) To forage by poking the snout here and there To rummage; to look for something in a somewhat aimless fashion I'm rooting about for ideas for a novel related terms square root cube root functional root root cause taproot roots music strictly roots
