root
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: ro͞ot
ipa: /ɹuːt/
ipa: /ɹʉt/
ipa: /ɹʊt/
rhymes: -uːt
rhymes: -ʊt
homophone: route (some pronunciations)
homophone: rute
Forms: form: roots
form: rooting
form: rooted
form: rooted
form: wrout
form: rout
form: wroot
Etymology: From Middle English wrōten (“to dig with the snout”), from Old English wrōtan, from Proto-West Germanic *wrōtan, from Proto-Germanic *wrōtaną (“to dig out, to root”). Related to Old English wrōt (“snout; trunk”). Loss of initial w- probably due to influence from the related noun (Etymology 1).
Senses: examples: text: A pig roots the earth for truffles.
text: Such tunges ſhuld be torne out by the harde rootes,
ref: c. 1515–1516, published 1568, John Skelton, Againſt venemous tongues enpoyſoned with ſclaunder and falſe detractions &c.
roman: Hoyning like hogges that groynis and wrotes.
glosses: To turn up or dig with the snout.
examples: text: Thou elvish-marked, abortive, rooting hog!
ref: c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:
glosses: To seek favour or advancement by low arts or grovelling servility; to fawn.
examples: text: rooting about in a junk-filled drawer
synonyms: dig out
root out
rummage
glosses: To rummage; to search as if by digging in soil.
examples: text: When your baby is rooting, his head will turn to the side and he will open and close his mouth. If you put your finger in your baby's hand, she has a grasping reflex that makes her curl her fingers around yours and hold on.
ref: 2016, Rachel Waddilove, The Baby Book: How to enjoy year one: revised and updated, page 179:
glosses: Of a baby: to turn the head and open the mouth in search of food.
examples: text: I will go root away the noisome weeds.
ref: 1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iv]:
text: The Lord rooted them out of their land [...] and cast them into another land.
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Deuteronomy 29:28:
glosses: To root out; to abolish.
topics: equestrianism
hobbies
horses
lifestyle
pets
sports
glosses: To tug or pull at the reins aggressively by driving the head downwards while wearing a bit.
raw_tags: of a horse
synonyms: word: screw
word: bang
word: drill
word: shag
word: Formal terms
word: bed
word: coit
word: coitize
word: dight
word: enjoy
word: feague
word: go in unto
word: go to bed with
word: have
word: know
word: lie by
word: lie with
word: love
word: mount
word: occupy
word: penetrate
word: season
word: seduce
word: sleep with
word: take
word: Any of Thesaurus:copulate + "with"
word: Informal and slang terms
word: ball
word: bang
word: bauf
word: beep
word: be with
word: bone
word: boff
word: boink
word: bonk
word: boom-boom
word: dick
word: diddle
word: dig out
word: do
word: doink
word: drill
word: eff
word: expletive deleted
word: feck
word: fill
word: frack
word: frak
word: frick
word: frig
word: fuck
word: get into someone's pants
word: get over on
word: get up in
word: give someone one
word: give someone the time
word: go with
word: have one's way with
word: have one's wicked way with
word: hit
word: hump
word: jape
word: jump
word: jump someone's bones
word: knob
word: knock
word: knock off
word: know someone in the biblical sense
word: lay
word: love up
word: make
word: nail
word: plough
word: plug
word: poke
word: pork
word: pound
word: prig
word: pump
word: ream
word: rock
word: roger
word: root
word: run through
word: rut
word: sard
word: schlong
word: screw
word: see to
word: service
word: shaft
word: shag
word: shelve
word: slay
word: slip it to
word: smash
word: smush
word: stallionize
word: swive
word: tap
word: tup
word: wap
glosses: To sexually penetrate.
Derived terms: root about
rooted
rooter
root for
rootle
root out
root up
underroot