Root
/ɹuːt/
noun
- The part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors and supports the plant body, absorbs and stores water and nutrients, and in some plants is able to perform vegetative reproduction.
"This tree's roots can go as deep as twenty metres underground."
- A root vegetable.
- The part of a tooth extending into the bone holding the tooth in place.
"Root damage is a common problem of overbrushing."
- The part of a hair under the skin that holds the hair in place.
"The root is the only part of the hair that is alive."
- The part of a hair near the skin that has not been dyed, permed, or otherwise treated.
"He dyed his hair black last month, so the grey roots can be seen."
verb
- To grow roots; to enter the earth, as roots; to take root and begin to grow.
"The cuttings are starting to root."
- To prepare, oversee, or otherwise cause the rooting of cuttings
"We rooted some cuttings last summer."
- To be firmly fixed; to be established.
- To get root or priviledged access on a computer system or mobile phone, often through bypassing some security mechanism.
"I want to root my Android phone so I can remove the preinstalled crapware."
Word Validity & Sources
Dictionary data sourced from SOWPODS (178,691 words), combining TWL (Tournament Word List) and the Collins Scrabble Words dictionary. Definitions from Free Dictionary API and Wordnik.
About the Word "Root"
Root is a 4-letter word that scores 4 points in Scrabble and 4 points in Words With Friends. The letters in "root" can be rearranged to form 2 other valid words.
Using "Root" in Word Games
When playing Scrabble or Words With Friends, "root" is a low-scoring word.