uproot

Everyday

1. To uproot is to pull a plant or tree out of the ground with its roots. tree →
2. To make people leave their home and move to a new place (The war uprooted many families). tree →
3. To get rid of something completely (to uproot a bad habit). tree →

In the lessons

In science and gardening: storms uproot trees; uproot weeds. In history and geography lessons about refugees: people uprooted by war. Phrases: uprooted trees, uproot a family.

Examples

• The storm uprooted the old oak. tree →
• Pull the weeds up — uproot them completely. tree →
• The war uprooted thousands of families. tree →
• Moving to another country uprooted our lives. tree →
• Pigs uproot plants with their snouts. tree →
• The elephant uprooted a small tree. tree →
• A VERY LARGE OAK was uprooted by the wind and thrown across a stream. tree →

Note

Regular: uprooted. up + root.

In Jewish tradition

In Psalms it means to pull up cities and destroy them so completely that nothing is remembered.

Interpretation. Tradition reads this as praise that God judges the proud enemies of His people and brings their power to an end.

Examples

• O thou enemy, the waste places are come to an end for ever; and the cities which thou didst uproot, their very memorial is perished. (Writings PSA.9.7, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Regular: uprooted. up + root.