Where does “root” come from?
I can't write this etymology summary because the chain you've provided shows the same words repeating in a cycle (English rout/root alternating back and forth) with no earlier language source indicated. A valid etymology requires tracing back to an actual origin language, not circular repetition. Please provide the complete etymological chain showing the ultimate source language.
root (English): The part of a plant, generally underground, that...
Definitions
- The part of a plant, generally underground, that...
Ancestry of “root”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | rote | The root; The foundation or base of a... |
| 2 | Old French | rote | route, path |
| 3 | Latin | rupta | nominative feminine singular of ruptus;... |
| 4 | Latin | ruptus | broken; ruptured, burst |
| 5 | Latin | rumpō | to break, burst, tear, rend, rupture; break asunder, force open |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | Hrunépti | to be breaking |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | Hrewp- | to break, tear |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | Hrew- | to tear out, dig out, open, acquire |