root

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

n. rootlet, radicle, radicel, taproot; radical; base, origin, essence, source; etymon. See numeration, cause. —v. plant, implant, fix; eradicate, extirpate; take root; informal, acclaim, cheer. See location, abode, approbation.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

1. [An underground portion of a plant]

Syn. radix, rootlet, root hair, tuber, taproot, radicle, rhizome, rootstock; see also bulb .

Types of roots include: conical, napiform, fusiform, fibrous, moniliform, nodulose, tuberous, adventitious, prop, aerial, tap; rhizome, radix, tuber, bulb, taproot.

2. [The cause or basis]

Syn. source, reason, motive, heart; see origin 2 , 3 .

See Synonym Study at origin .

• take root,

Syn. begin growing, start, become established; see begin 2 , grow 1 .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus)

I

n.

1. taproot rootstock, radix, tuber.

2. source basis, seat, germ, heart, soul, nub, essence, nucleus, foundation, mainspring, origin, fountain.

II

v.

1. dig up unearth, forage, nose about, sniff out, uncover, pry out, grub.

2. cheer support, back, boost, applaud, hail, *egg on.

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) verb 1. To implant so deeply as to make change nearly impossible: embed, entrench, fasten, fix, infix, ingrain, lodge. See MOVE. 2. To provide a basis for: base1, build, establish, found, ground, predicate, rest1, underpin. See OVER. 3. To destroy all traces of. Also used with out or up: abolish, annihilate, blot out, clear, eradicate, erase, exterminate, extinguish, extirpate, kill1, liquidate, obliterate, remove, rub out, snuff out, stamp out, uproot, wipe out. Idioms: do away with, make an end of, put an end to. See HELP, MAKE.

V

(Roget's Thesaurus II) noun 1. The most central and material part: core, essence, gist, heart, kernel, marrow, meat, nub, pith, quintessence, soul, spirit, stuff, substance. Law: gravamen. See BE. 2. A fundamental principle or underlying concept: base1, basis, cornerstone, foundation, fundament, fundamental, rudiment (often used in plural), See OVER. 3. A point of origination: beginning, derivation, fount, fountain, fountainhead, mother, origin, parent, provenance, provenience, rootstock, source, spring, well1. See START. 4. A point of origin from which ideas or influences, for example, originate: bottom, center, core, focus, heart, hub, quick. See START. 5. The main part of a word to which affixes are attached: base1, stem, theme. See WORDS.

VI

(Roget's Thesaurus II) verb To express approval, especially by clapping: applaud, cheer, clap? Idiom: give someone a hand. See PRAISE.