Root
/ruːt/noun
The underground part of a plant that anchors it and absorbs water and nutrients.
Did you know?English root comes from a Proto-Germanic word for a plant root, and it is unrelated to the math term “root,” which comes through Latin from a different source.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wrād-
“to branch, shoot, sprout”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*wrotō
“root, plant root”
Old English
English
rōt
“root of a plant”
Old Norse
Old Norse
rót
“root”
Middle English
English
rote
“root of a plant”
Modern English
English
root
“the underground part of a plant”