Root words are a type of morpheme (small part of a word) with a distinct meaning that can combine with affixes to create new words or sometimes act alone as independent words. Root words are instrumental in grammar for forming words, and understanding their meanings can help you define new words with those same roots.

A root (also known as root word or radical) is the core of a word that is irreducible into more meaningful elements.

Just like shoots and leaves grow from the root of a plant, a root word is a word from which other words can grow. To use another analogy, a root word is one of the building blocks that make up a word. Its basic meaning is the same no matter where you find it.

In English grammar and morphology, a root is a word or word element (in other words, a morpheme) from which other words grow, usually through the addition of prefixes and suffixes. Also called a root word.