ROOT

In Arithmetic, a number which being multiplied into itself any number of times produces another number, called a power, of which power the original number is the root. The root takes the name of the power whose root it is. Thus, it is called the square root, if the power is a square; the cube root, if the power is a cube, and so on. Root. That part of the central axis of a plant which is formed by the descending fibres, and whose function is to attract liquid food from the soil in which it is mingled. It differs from the stem in not having leaves or buds upon its surface, and in its tendency to burrow under ground, retreating from light; neverthele , some kinds of roots are exclusively formed in air and light, as in the ivy, and other such plants. ROOT OF AN EQUATION, in Algebra, signifies the value of the unknown quantity which enters into the equation. See Equation. [s. 1087]