Root vs Ground - What's the difference?
root | ground | Related terms |
The part of a plant, generally underground, that absorbs water and nutrients.
A root vegetable.
*
The part of a tooth extending into the bone holding the tooth in place.
The part of a hair under the skin that holds the hair in place.
The part of a hair near the skin that has not been dyed, permed, or otherwise treated.
The primary source; origin.
* John Locke
(arithmetic) Of a number or expression, a number which, when raised to a specified power, yields the specified number or expression.
(arithmetic) A square root (understood if no power is specified; in which case, “the root of” is often abbreviated to “root”).
(analysis) A zero (of a function).
(graph theory, computing) The single node of a tree that has no parent.
(linguistic morphology) The primary lexical unit of a word, which carries the most significant aspects of semantic content and cannot be reduced into smaller constituents. Inflectional stems often derive from roots.
(philology) A word from which another word or words are derived.
(music) The fundamental tone of any chord; the tone from whose harmonics, or overtones, a chord is composed.
The lowest place, position, or part.
* Milton
* Southey
(computing) In UNIX terminology, the first user account with complete access to the operating system and its configuration, found at the root of the directory structure.
(computing) The person who manages accounts on a UNIX system.
(computing) The highest directory of a directory structure which may contain both files and subdirectories. (rfex)
(computing, slang, transitive) To break into a computer system and obtain root access.
To fix the root; to enter the earth, as roots; to take root and begin to grow.
* Mortimer
* '>citation
To be firmly fixed; to be established.
* Bishop Fell
To turn up or dig with the snout.
(by extension) To seek favour or advancement by low arts or grovelling servility; to fawn.
To rummage, to search as if by digging in soil.
To root out; to abolish.
* Shakespeare
* Bible, Deuteronomy xxix. 28
(Australia, New Zealand, vulgar, slang) To have sexual intercourse.
(Australia, New Zealand, vulgar, slang) An act of sexual intercourse.
(Australia, New Zealand, vulgar, slang) A sexual partner.
(intransitive, with for, US) To cheer to show support for.
* 1908 ,
(US) To hope for the success of. Rendered as 'root for'.
(senseid)(uncountable) The surface of the Earth, as opposed to the sky or water or underground.
* , chapter=23
, title= *
* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-08, volume=407, issue=8839, page=52, magazine=(The Economist)
, title= (uncountable) Terrain.
(uncountable) Soil, earth.
(countable) The bottom of a body of water.
Basis, foundation, groundwork, legwork.
Background, context, framework, surroundings.
* '>citation
The plain surface upon which the figures of an artistic composition are set.
In sculpture, a flat surface upon which figures are raised in relief.
In point lace, the net of small meshes upon which the embroidered pattern is applied.
In etching, a gummy substance spread over the surface of a metal to be etched, to prevent the acid from eating except where an opening is made by the needle.
(architecture, mostly, in the plural) One of the pieces of wood, flush with the plastering, to which mouldings etc. are attached.
(countable) A soccer stadium.
(electricity, Canadian, and, US) An electrical conductor connected to the ground.
(electricity, Canadian, and, US) A level of electrical potential used as a zero reference.
(countable, cricket) The area of grass on which a match is played (a cricket field); the entire arena in which it is played; the part of the field behind a batsman's popping crease where he can not be run out (hence to make one's ground ).
(music) A composition in which the bass, consisting of a few bars of independent notes, is continually repeated to a varying melody.
(music) The tune on which descants are raised; the plain song.
* 1592 , (William Shakespeare), '', act III, scene vii, in: ''The Works of Shake?pear V (1726),
The pit of a theatre.
To connect (an electrical conductor or device) to a ground.
To punish, especially a child or teenager, by forcing him/her to stay at home and/or give up certain privileges.
To forbid (an aircraft or pilot) to fly.
To give a basic education in a particular subject; to instruct in elements or first principles.
(baseball) to hit a ground ball; to hit a ground ball which results in an out. Compare fly (verb(regular)) and line (verb).
(cricket) (of a batsman) to place his bat, or part of his body, on the ground behind the popping crease so as not to be run out
To run aground; to strike the bottom and remain fixed.
To found; to fix or set, as on a foundation, reason, or principle; to furnish a ground for; to fix firmly.
* Bible, Ephesians iii. 17
* Sir W. Hamilton
(fine arts) To cover with a ground, as a copper plate for etching, or as paper or other materials with a uniform tint as a preparation for ornament.
(grind)
Crushed, or reduced to small particles.
Processed by grinding.
Root is a related term of ground.
As a proper noun root
is .As a noun ground is
(senseid)(uncountable) the surface of the earth, as opposed to the sky or water or underground.As a verb ground is
to connect (an electrical conductor or device) to a ground or ground can be (grind).As an adjective ground is
crushed, or reduced to small particles.root
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) ; cognate with wort and radix.Noun
(en noun)- This tree's roots can go as deep as twenty metres underground.
- two fields which should have been sown with roots in the early summer were not sown because the ploughing had not been completed early enough.
- Root damage is a common problem of overbrushing.
- The root is the only part of the hair that is alive.
- He dyed his hair black last month, so the grey roots can be seen.
- The love of money is the root of all evil.
- They were the roots out of which sprang two distinct people.
- The cube root of 27 is 3.
- Multiply by root 2.
- (Busby)
- deep to the roots of hell
- the roots of the mountains
Synonyms
* (source) basis, origin, source * (zero of a function) zero * (word from which another is derived) etymon * superuser (), root account, root userAntonyms
* (zero of a function) poleHolonyms
* (zero of a function) kernelDerived terms
* cube root * functional root * put down roots * root canal * root cause * rootkit * roots * roots music * rootsy * square root * strictly roots * take root * taproot * root gapVerb
(en verb)- We rooted his box and planted a virus on it.
- In deep grounds the weeds root deeper.
- If any irregularity chanced to intervene and to cause misapprehensions, he gave them not leave to root and fasten by concealment.
See also
* (linguistics) stemEtymology 2
From (etyl) . Cognate with rodent. Cognate with Dutch wroeten.Verb
(en verb)- A pig roots the earth for truffles.
- rooting about in a junk-filled drawer
- I will go root away the noisome weeds.
- The Lord rooted them out of their land and cast them into another land.
Usage notes
* The Australian/New Zealand sexual sense is somewhat milder than fuck but still quite coarse, certainly not for polite conversation. The sexual sense will often be understood, unless care is taken with the context to make the rummage sense clear, or 'root through' or 'root around' is used. The past participle rooted'' is equivalent to ''fucked'' in the figurative sense of broken or tired, but ''rooting'' is only the direct verbal sense, not an all-purpose intensive like ''fucking .Synonyms
* (rummage) dig out, root out, rummage * (have sexual intercourse) screw, bang, drill (US), shag (British) - See alsoDerived terms
* root about * rooted * root out * root upNoun
(en noun)- Fancy a root ?
Usage notes
* The Australian/New Zealand sexual sense of root'' is somewhat milder than ''fuck'' but still quite coarse, certainly not for polite conversation. The normal usage is ''to have a root or similar.Synonyms
* (act of sexual intercourse) screw (qualifier), shag (UK); see also * (sexual partner) screw (US)Etymology 3
Possibly an alteration of , influenced by hootVerb
(en verb)- Let me root', '''root''', ' root for the home team,
- I'm rooting for you, don't let me down!
Synonyms
* (cheer) barrack (qualifier), cheer onAnagrams
* ----ground
English
(wikipedia ground)Etymology 1
From (etyl) grund , from (etyl) .Alternative forms
* (contraction used in electronics)Noun
The Mirror and the Lamp, passage=If the afternoon was fine they strolled together in the park, very slowly, and with pauses to draw breath wherever the ground sloped upward. The slightest effort made the patient cough.}}
- Mind you, clothes were clothes in those days. […] Frills, ruffles, flounces, lace, complicated seams and gores: not only did they sweep the ground and have to be held up in one hand elegantly as you walked along, but they had little capes or coats or feather boas.
The new masters and commanders, passage=From the ground , Colombo’s port does not look like much. Those entering it are greeted by wire fences, walls dating back to colonial times and security posts.}}
- crimson flowers on a white ground
- Brussels ground
- Grounds are usually put up first and the plastering floated flush with them.
page 149:
- Buck''&
- 91;] The Mayor is here at hand; pretend ?ome fear, // Be not you ?poke with, but by mighty ?uit; // And look you get a prayer-book in your hand, // And ?tand between two churchmen, good my lord, // For on that ground I’ll build a holy de?cant: // And be not ea?ily won to our reque?ts: // Play the maid’s part, ?till an?wer nay, and take it.
- (Ben Jonson)
Synonyms
* (electricity) earth (British)Derived terms
* aboveground / above ground * air-to-ground * aground * break ground * breeding ground * burial ground * common ground * cricket ground * cumber ground / cumber-ground / cumberground * dead ground * ear to the ground * facts on the ground * fairground * figure and ground * from the ground up * gain ground * get off the ground * give ground * gill-over-the-ground * go to ground * ground bait * ground ball * ground bass * ground beetle * ground berry * ground-breaker * ground-breaking * ground cable * ground cedar * ground cherry * ground cloth * ground clutter * ground control * ground cover * ground effect * ground fault * ground fir * ground fire * ground fish * ground floor * ground forces * ground game * ground glass * ground hemlock * ground hog / ground-hog / groundhog * ground itch * ground ivy * ground lamella * ground laurel * ground level * ground loop * groundly * ground meristem * ground noise * ground offensive * ground out * ground pangolin * ground pine * ground plan * ground plane * ground plate * ground plum * ground pounder * ground proximity warning system * ground rattlesnake * ground rent * ground robin * ground roller * ground rule / ground-rule * ground-shaker * ground shark * ground sloth * groundsman * ground snake * ground speed * ground spider * ground squirrel * ground state * ground stroke * ground substance * ground swell * ground tackle * ground tissue * ground-to-air * ground truth * ground water * ground wave * ground wire * ground zero * groundwork * high ground / moral high ground * hit the ground running * home ground * kiss the ground someone walks on * know one's ass from a hole in the ground * lose ground * middle ground * neutral ground * off the ground * on the ground * parade ground * picnic ground * pleasure ground * proving ground * run into the ground * school ground * solid ground / on solid ground * stamping ground * stand one's ground * stomping ground * teeing ground * testing ground * thick on the ground * thin on the ground * underground * vantage ground * (ground)See also
* floor * terra firmaVerb
(en verb)- If you don't clean your room, I'll be forced to ground you.
- Carla, you are grounded until further notice for lying to us about where you were yesterday.
- My kids are currently grounded from television.
- Because of the bad weather, all flights were grounded .
- Jim was grounded in maths.
- Jones grounded to second in his last at-bat.
- The ship grounded on the bar.
- being rooted and grounded in love
- So far from warranting any inference to the existence of a God, would, on the contrary, ground even an argument to his negation.
Etymology 2
* See also milled.Verb
(head)- I ground the coffee up nicely.
Adjective
(-)- ground mustard seed
- lenses of ground glass