rootlet

noun

root·​let ˈrüt-lət How to pronounce rootlet (audio)
ˈru̇t-
: a small root see seedling illustration

Examples of rootlet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This native creeping vine uses small aerial rootlets to firmly attach itself to other plants or structures. Mike Hogan, The Enquirer, 28 May 2023 The coastal glaciers are like rootlets tendriling off the taproot of Greenland’s interior, the channels through which much of the ice is lost. Jonathan Nackstrand, National Geographic, 15 Oct. 2019 Splaying out some 18 feet from the base of their trunks and digging deep into the soil, the roots were sturdy, branched, and intricate, with delicate rootlets splaying from their tips. Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian, 20 Dec. 2019 By contrast, the giant relatives of the Xinhang trees, which dominated swamps millions of years later, commonly had what are known as stigmarian roots, which split into branches surrounded by tiny rootlets. Deming Wang, National Geographic, 8 Aug. 2019 Wei-Haas reports that the Xinhang trees have stigmarian roots, or branching roots covered in rootlets. Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 9 Aug. 2019 The fungi grow underground, usually nestled in the deep, fine network of tiny rootlets of oak trees, in a special kind of symbiosis. Alejandra Borunda, National Geographic, 11 July 2019 The long radishes broke it up and drew nutrients toward the surface; tall grasses like sorghum produced numerous fine rootlets, adding organic material to the land; legumes harbored bacteria that put nitrogen into the soil. Moises Velasquez-Manoff, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2018

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1793, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rootlet was circa 1793

Dictionary Entries Near rootlet

Cite this Entry

“Rootlet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rootlet. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

rootlet

noun
root·​let ˈrüt-lət How to pronounce rootlet (audio)
ˈru̇t-
: a small root

Medical Definition

rootlet

noun
root·​let -lət How to pronounce rootlet (audio)
: a small root
also : one of the ultimate divisions of a nerve root
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!