root 1 S2 W2 / rut / 名词 [可数名词]

1 plant the part of a plant or tree that grows under the ground and gets water from the soil :

tree roots

These plants produce a number of thin roots. → root crop , root vegetable

2 cause of a problem the main cause of a problem

be/lie at the root of something (= be the cause of something )

Allergies are at the root of a lot of health problems.

The love of money is the root of all evil .

A competent mechanic should be able to get to the root of the problem (= find out the cause of a problem ) .

the root causes of crime

3 origin/main part the origin or main part of something such as a custom, law, activity etc, from which other things have developed

root in

a legal system with roots in English common law

Jazz has its roots in the folk songs of the southern states of the US.

be/lie at the root of something

the liberal economic policies which lie at the root of American power

4 family connection sb’s roots your relation to a place because you were born there, or your family used to live there :

immigrants keeping in touch with their cultural roots

Alex Haley’s story about his search for his roots became a bestseller.

5 put down roots if you put down roots somewhere, you start to feel that a place is your home and to have relationships with the people there :

Because of her husband’s job, they’d moved too often to put down roots anywhere.

6 tooth/hair etc the part of a tooth, hair etc that connects it to the rest of your body :

She’d pulled some of Kelly’s hair out by the roots.

7 take root

a) if an idea, method, activity etc takes root, people begin to accept or believe it, or it begins to have an effect :

Economists believe that economic recovery will begin to take root next year.

b) if a plant takes root, it starts to grow where you have planted it

8 have a (good) root round British English informal to search for something by moving other things around

9 language technical the basic part of a word which shows its main meaning, to which other parts can be added. For example, the word ‘coldness’ is formed from the root ‘cold’ and the suffix ‘ness’. → stem

10 mathematics technical a number that, when multiplied by itself a certain number of times, equals the number that you have :

2 is the fourth root of 16.

11 root and branch if you destroy or change something root and branch, you get rid of it or change it completely and permanently because it is bad :

a root and branch reform of the electoral system

→ cube root , square root , grass roots

THESAURUS

where something comes from

origin/origins the place or situation in which something begins to exist : the origins of the conflict in the Middle East | The book explains the origin of words. | Her disability is genetic in origin .

source the thing, place etc that you get something from : They get their money from various sources. | Beans are a good source of protein.

root the root of a problem is the main cause. The roots of something are the things that it was originally based on : Allergies are at the root of a lot of health problems. | At the root of the crisis was a shortage of hard cash. | They want a return to the roots of Christianity. | Reggae has its roots in a range of different musical styles.

the birthplace of something the place where something first started to exist : New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz. | Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee

the cradle of something the place where something important first started – used mainly in the following 短语 : Ancient Athens is considered to be the cradle of democracy . | Baghdad was the cradle of civilization .

starting point an idea, suggestion etc from which a discussion, process, or project can develop : His paper provided an excellent starting point for discussion.