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taproot
/ ˈæˌː /
noun
- the large single root of plants such as the dandelion, which grows vertically downwards and bears smaller lateral roots
taproot
- The main root in gymnosperms, eudicotyledons, and magnoliids, usually stouter than the lateral roots and growing straight downward from the stem. The taproot develops from the primary root. The taproot and its lateral roots penetrate deeper into the soil than the fibrous roots characteristic of monocotyledons.
- Compare fibrous root
taproot
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Notes
Figuratively, a “taproot” is the source of an idea or work: “His childhood in Wales is the taproot of his poetry.”
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Derived Forms
- ˈٲˌǴdzٱ, adjective
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Word History and Origins
Origin of taproot1
C17: from tap ² + root 1
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Compare Meanings
How does taproot compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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Example Sentences
Examples have not been reviewed.
The taproot went down further, nearly 5 feet deep, in the first generation of mowed plants.
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Unconsciousness is the taproot of these various kinds of enslavement we experience today.
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When we tackle issues at the taproot, we set ourselves up for a better future.
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Thanks to their long taproots, they pull nutrients like calcium up from deep in the soil, making them available to other plants, and acting like a natural fertilizer.
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Flowering causes the taproot, the edible root that we consume, to turn woody and inedible.
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