[*** \mathrm{root}^1] |ro͞ot|

source: By Patti Neumann - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

1. the part of a plant which attaches it to the ground or to a support, typically underground, conveying water and nourishment to the rest of the plant via numerous branches and fibers:

〖通例～s〗 根, 地下茎

e.g. cacti have deep and spreading roots

e.g. a tree root.

the persistent underground part of a plant, especially when fleshy and enlarged and used as a vegetable, e.g. a turnip or carrot.

〘植〙 根付き植物

any plant grown for its edible root.

根菜

the embedded part of a bodily organ or structure such as a hair, tooth, or nail:

(歯･毛･爪などの)根元, つけ根

e.g. her hair was fairer at the roots.

the part of a thing attaching it to a greater or more fundamental whole; the end or base:

e.g. a little lever near the root of the barrel.

2. the basic cause, source, or origin of something:

〖通例the ～〗 (問題などの)根源, (根本的)原

e.g. love of money is the root of all evil

e.g. jealousy was at the root of it

e.g. as modifier : the root cause of the problem.

the essential substance or nature of something:

e.g. matters at the heart and root of existence.

(roots) family, ethnic, or cultural origins, especially as the reasons for one's long-standing emotional attachment to a place or community:

〖one's ～s〗 (自分･祖先の)ルーツ, 故郷, 心のよりどころ; 祖先

e.g. it's always nice to return to my roots.

(as adjective roots) denoting or relating to something, especially music, from a particular ethnic or cultural origin, especially a non-Western one:

〖通例～s〗 (習慣･伝統などの)起源, ルーツ

e.g. roots music.

(in biblical use) a scion; a descendant:

〘宗〙 (聖書の)子孫

e.g. the root of David.

Linguistics a morpheme, not necessarily surviving as a word in itself, from which words have been made by the addition of prefixes or suffixes or by other modification:

〘言〙 語根

e.g. many European words stem from this linguistic root

e.g. as modifier : the root form of the word.

Music the fundamental note of a chord.

〘楽〙 基音

3. Mathematics a number or quantity that when multiplied by itself, typically a specified number of times, gives a specified number or quantity:

〘数〙 根; ルート

e.g. find the cube root of the result.

short for square root.

a value of an unknown quantity satisfying a given equation:

e.g. the roots of the equation differ by an integer.

4. often as modifier Computing a user account with full and unrestricted access to a system:

e.g. make sure that these files can only be accessed by the root user

e.g. I need to log in as root on my system to resolve an issue.

verb with object

1. cause (a plant or cutting) to grow roots:

〖通例be ～ed/～ oneself〗 〈植物が〉根付く

e.g. root your own cuttings from stock plants.

no object (of a plant or cutting) establish roots:

根付く

e.g. large trees had rooted in the canal bank.

2. (usually be rooted) establish deeply and firmly:

〖be ～ed〗 〈物･事が〉 【場所などに】定着している, 根付いている

e.g. vegetarianism is rooted in Indian culture.

(be rooted in) have as an origin or cause:

〈考えなどが〉 «…に» 基づいている «in»

e.g. the Latin dubitare is rooted in an Indo-European word.

3. (often as adjective rooted) cause (someone) to stand immobile through fear or amazement:

〖be ～ed〗 (恐怖･感動などで)〈人などが〉 【場所で】動けなくなる «to»

e.g. she found herself rooted to the spot in disbelief.

4. Computing gain access to the root account of (a smartphone or computer):

e.g. we explained how to manually root almost any Android device.

basically; fundamentally:

e.g. it is a moral question at root.

(of a plant) begin to draw nourishment from the soil through its roots.

(of a person) begin to have a settled life in a particular place.

used to express the thorough or radical nature of a process or operation:

e.g. root and branch reform of personal taxation.

affect in a vital area with potentially destructive results:

e.g. the proposals struck at the roots of community life.

(of a plant) begin to grow and draw nourishment from the soil through its roots.

become fixed or established:

e.g. the idea had taken root in my mind.

(also root something up) dig or pull up a plant by the roots.

find and get rid of someone or something regarded as pernicious or dangerous:

e.g. a campaign to root out corruption.

rootedness |ˈro͞odədnəs| noun

rootlet |ˈro͞otlət| noun

rootlike |-ˌlīk| adjective

rooty adjective

late Old English rōt, from Old Norse rót; related to Latin radix, also to wort.

[*** \mathrm{root}^2] |ro͞ot|

verb no object, with adverbial

(of an animal) turn up the ground with its snout in search of food:

〈豚などが〉 【餌などを】鼻で地面を掘って捜す «for» .

e.g. stray dogs rooting around for bones and scraps.

search unsystematically through an untidy mass or area; rummage:

｟くだけて｠ «…の中を» (引っかき回して)探す(about, around) «through, in»

e.g. she was rooting through a pile of papers.

with object (root something out) find or extract something by rummaging:

〈問題など〉を見つけて解決する(out)

｟くだけて｠ 〈食べ物など〉を捜し出す(out)

e.g. he managed to root out the cleaning kit.

noun in singular

an act of rooting:

e.g. I have a root through the open drawers.

informal support or hope for the success of (a person or group entering a contest or undertaking a challenge):

e.g. the whole of this club is rooting for him.

North American informal cheer or spur someone on:

e.g. his mother rooted him on enthusiastically from ringside.

Old English wrōtan, of Germanic origin; related to Old English wrōt ‘snout’, German Rüssel ‘snout’, and perhaps ultimately to Latin rodere ‘gnaw’.