root
nounADJ.
deep, shallow | gnarled
ROOT + VERB
develop, grow | put down, take
I hope those cuttings will take root.ROOT + NOUN
system | crops, vegetables
PREP.
by its/the ~s
She pulled the shrub out by its roots.ADJ.
humble
Despite his wealth, he never forgot his humble roots.| cultural
severed from our cultural roots by industrialization| middle-class, peasant, working-class | French, Scottish, etc.
VERB + ROOT
get/go back to, return to
My husband wants to go back to his Irish roots.| trace
They can trace their roots back to the sixteenth century.| put down
We haven't been here long enough to put down roots.| cut yourself off from
ADJ.
deep | very | common
The two languages share a common root.| historical
VERB + ROOT
have | get at/to, go to
I've spent months trying to get to the root of the problem.| lie at
ROOT + NOUN
cause
PREP.
at (the ~ of)
It is a moral question at root. His fears of loneliness lay at the very root of his inability to leave.| ~ in
The unrest has roots in religious differences.PHRASES
the root of all evil
They consider globalization to be the root of all evil.| the root of the matter/problem
I expect money is at the root of the matter.