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Added 9 October 2026

uproot

/ˌʌpˈɹuːt/ verb

In Latin: ērādīcō Wiktionary

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about uproot at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Move (people) forcibly from their homeland into a new and foreign environment.
The war uprooted many people
Destroy completely, as if down to the roots.
the vestiges of political democracy were soon uprooted
Pull up by or as if by the roots.
uproot the vine that has spread all over the garden

Origin

PIE word *wréh₂ds From up- (prefix indicating a higher direction or position) + root (“to tear up by the roots; (figuratively) to remove forcibly from a place; to eradicate, exterminate”, verb). Root is derived from root (“underground part of a plant”, noun), from Middle English rote, from Old English rōt, rōte, from Old Norse rót, from Proto-Germanic *wrōts, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wréh₂ds (“root”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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