roots

Everyday

1. Roots are the parts of a plant that grow under the ground; they hold the plant in place and take in water and minerals. tree →
2. The roots of a tooth or hair are the parts that hold it in the body. tree →
3. Your roots are the place and family you come from. tree →
4. The roots of a problem are where it starts. tree →
5. In maths, a root of a number, like the square root, is a number that multiplies by itself to give that number. tree →

In the lessons

In science roots anchor plants and take up water; carrots and potatoes are roots or underground parts we eat; tree roots can crack pavements. In everyday life, people say they have Irish or Greek roots (family history). In English lessons, a root word is the main part of a word before prefixes and suffixes are added (happy is the root of unhappiness). In maths the square root of 9 is 3 because 3 × 3 = 9.

Examples

• The roots take in water from the soil. tree →
• Tree roots lifted up the pavement. tree →
• Carrots are roots that we eat. tree →
• My family has roots in Scotland. tree →
• «Kind» is the root word of «kindness». tree →
• The square root of 16 is 4. tree →
• The dentist said the tooth's root was healthy. tree →
• We need to find the roots of the problem. tree →
• Meet here beneath this ash-tree's roots. tree →

Note

Singular «root», plural «roots». «Take root» = start to grow. Homophone: «route» (a way to travel) is often said «root» in the UK. In maths the square root sign is √; √25 = 5. Not all things underground are roots: a potato is a tuber (a swollen stem).

In Jewish tradition

It means plant roots, and in the Hebrew texts, three-letter word roots that carry the main meaning.

Interpretation. Students of Hebrew and of Sefer Yetzirah trace meaning back to roots, and mystics speak of the "roots" of things in the divine world.

Examples

• Hebrew has of course several verb roots relating to one or more of each of these three facets of language. (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation) tree →
• It derives from the root נפ״שׁ NPSh, having to do with breathing, refreshing, and resting; its etymological relationships with curiously similar roots like נשׁ״ם NShM ‘to breathe, pant’, נשׁ״ף NShP ‘to blow’, and נשׁ״ב NShB ‘to blow’ are unclear. (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation) tree →
• The Third Path is the Sanctifying Intelligence, and is the basis of foundation of Primordial Wisdom, which is called the Former of faith, and its roots, Amen; and it is the parent of Faith, from which virtues doth Faith emanate. (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1887) tree →
• His roots shall dry up beneath, and above shall his branch wither. (Writings JOB.18.16, JPS 1917) tree →
• His roots are wrapped about the heap, he beholdeth the place of stones. (Writings JOB.8.17, JPS 1917) tree →
• They pluck salt-wort with wormwood; and the roots of the broom are their food. (Writings JOB.30.4, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Singular «root», plural «roots». «Take root» = start to grow. Homophone: «route» (a way to travel) is often said «root» in the UK. In maths the square root sign is √; √25 = 5. Not all things underground are roots: a potato is a tuber (a swollen stem).