Root

Root
Root Root, n. [Icel. r[=o]t (for vr[=o]t); akin to E. wort, and perhaps to root to turn up the earth. See {Wort}.] 1. (Bot.) (a) The underground portion of a plant, whether a true root or a tuber, a bulb or rootstock, as in the potato, the onion, or the sweet flag. (b) The descending, and commonly branching, axis of a plant, increasing in length by growth at its extremity only, not divided into joints, leafless and without buds, and having for its offices to fix the plant in the earth, to supply it with moisture and soluble matters, and sometimes to serve as a reservoir of nutriment for future growth. A true root, however, may never reach the ground, but may be attached to a wall, etc., as in the ivy, or may hang loosely in the air, as in some epiphytic orchids. [1913 Webster]

2. An edible or esculent root, especially of such plants as produce a single root, as the beet, carrot, etc.; as, the root crop. [1913 Webster]

3. That which resembles a root in position or function, esp. as a source of nourishment or support; that from which anything proceeds as if by growth or development; as, the root of a tooth, a nail, a cancer, and the like. Specifically: (a) An ancestor or progenitor; and hence, an early race; a stem. [1913 Webster]

They were the roots out of which sprang two distinct people. --Locke. [1913 Webster] (b) A primitive form of speech; one of the earliest terms employed in language; a word from which other words are formed; a radix, or radical. (c) The cause or occasion by which anything is brought about; the source. ``She herself . . . is root of bounty.'' --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]

The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. --1 Tim. vi. 10 (rev. Ver.) [1913 Webster] (d) (Math.) That factor of a quantity which when multiplied into itself will produce that quantity; thus, 3 is a root of 9, because 3 multiplied into itself produces 9; 3 is the cube root of 27. (e) (Mus.) The fundamental tone of any chord; the tone from whose harmonics, or overtones, a chord is composed. --Busby. [1913 Webster] (f) The lowest place, position, or part. ``Deep to the roots of hell.'' --Milton. ``The roots of the mountains.'' --Southey. [1913 Webster]

4. (Astrol.) The time which to reckon in making calculations. [1913 Webster]

When a root is of a birth yknowe [known]. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]

{A["e]rial roots}. (Bot.) (a) Small roots emitted from the stem of a plant in the open air, which, attaching themselves to the bark of trees, etc., serve to support the plant. (b) Large roots growing from the stem, etc., which descend and establish themselves in the soil. See Illust. of {Mangrove}.

{Multiple primary root} (Bot.), a name given to the numerous roots emitted from the radicle in many plants, as the squash.

{Primary root} (Bot.), the central, first-formed, main root, from which the rootlets are given off.

{Root and branch}, every part; wholly; completely; as, to destroy an error root and branch.

{Root-and-branch men}, radical reformers; -- a designation applied to the English Independents (1641). See Citation under {Radical}, n., 2.

{Root barnacle} (Zo["o]l.), one of the Rhizocephala.

{Root hair} (Bot.), one of the slender, hairlike fibers found on the surface of fresh roots. They are prolongations of the superficial cells of the root into minute tubes. --Gray.

{Root leaf} (Bot.), a radical leaf. See {Radical}, a., 3 (b) .

{Root louse} (Zo["o]l.), any plant louse, or aphid, which lives on the roots of plants, as the Phylloxera of the grapevine. See {Phylloxera}.

{Root of an equation} (Alg.), that value which, substituted for the unknown quantity in an equation, satisfies the equation.

{Root of a nail} (Anat.), the part of a nail which is covered by the skin.

{Root of a tooth} (Anat.), the part of a tooth contained in the socket and consisting of one or more fangs.

{Secondary roots} (Bot.), roots emitted from any part of the plant above the radicle.

{To strike root}, {To take root}, to send forth roots; to become fixed in the earth, etc., by a root; hence, in general, to become planted, fixed, or established; to increase and spread; as, an opinion takes root. ``The bended twigs take root.'' --Milton. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • ROOT! — is an Australian rock group from Melbourne formed in 2007. Their music combines alt country, blues and indie rock with elements of spoken word, satire, social commentary and post modernism. They have gained attention through a band member being a …   Wikipedia

  • Root — (englisch für „Wurzel“) steht für: Root Konto – ein spezielles Benutzerkonto bei Computer Betriebssystemen Wurzelverzeichnis (englisch root directory) – ein spezielles Verzeichnis in einem Dateisystem, siehe Stammverzeichnis ROOT – ein… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • ROOT — Logo Basisdaten Aktuelle Version: 5.30/00  (28.06.2011) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • root — root1 [ro͞ot, root] n. [ME rote < Late OE < ON rot, akin to OE wyrt, Ger wurzel < IE base * wrād , twig, root > Gr rhiza, L radix, root, ramus, branch] 1. the part of a plant, usually below the ground, that lacks nodes, shoots, and… …   English World dictionary

  • root — Ⅰ. root [1] ► NOUN 1) a part of a plant normally below ground, which acts as a support and collects water and nourishment. 2) the embedded part of a bodily organ or structure such as a hair. 3) (also root vegetable) a turnip, carrot, or other… …   English terms dictionary

  • Root — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda En sistemas operativos del tipo Unix, root es el nombre convencional de la cuenta de usuario que posee todos los derechos en todos los modos (mono o multi usuario). root es también llamado superusuario. Normalmente… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Root — (от англ. root  корень; читается «рут»), или суперпользователь это специальный аккаунт в UNIX подобных системах с идентификатором (UID, User IDentifier) 0, владелец которого имеет право на выполнение всех без исключения операций.… …   Википедия

  • Root — (r[=oo]t), v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Rooted}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Rooting}.] 1. To fix the root; to enter the earth, as roots; to take root and begin to grow. [1913 Webster] In deep grounds the weeds root deeper. Mortimer. [1913 Webster] 2. To be firmly… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • .root — es un dominio de primer nivel de Internet que se sabe que existe, pero del cual nunca se ha dado una explicación a su propósito. Aparentemente parece creado y mantenido por VeriSign, empresa que tiene en su poder algunos de los servidores raíz… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Root — Root, v. i. [AS. wr[=o]tan; akin to wr[=o]t a snout, trunk, D. wroeten to root, G. r[ u]ssel snout, trunk, proboscis, Icel. r[=o]ta to root, and perhaps to L. rodere to gnaw (E. rodent) or to E. root, n.] 1. To turn up the earth with the snout,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”