root
noun [C] (CAUSE/ORIGIN) /ruːt/Definition
C1 the cause or origin of something bad: We must get to the root of (= discover the cause of) this problem. What is/lies at the root of the problem is their lack of interest. The high crime rate has its roots in unemployment and poverty. So what's the root cause of his anxiety?Origins and sources roots B2 [plural] › origins: The city of Tours can trace its roots back to Roman times. → See also grassroots adjectiveOrigins and sources
(Definition of root noun (CAUSE/ORIGIN) from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
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Synonyms and related words:
- base noun (NECESSARY PART)
- be a recipe for disaster, trouble, success, etc. idiom
- beginning noun
- birthplace noun
- born verb
- breeding ground noun
- come from somewhere/sth phrasal verb
- emanate from/through sth/sb phrasal verb
- emanate verb
- fount noun
- genesis noun
- hail from somewhere phrasal verb
- originate verb
- paternity noun
- provenance noun
- seed corn noun
- seed noun (BEGINNING)
- son noun
- source noun
- wellspring noun
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Origins and sources
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