rootlet

[ root-lit, root- ]

noun

, Botany.

1. a little root.
2. a small or fine branch of a root.
3. one of the adventitious roots root by which ivy or the like clings to rocks or other supports.

rootlet

/ ˈruːtlɪt /

noun

1. a small root or branch of a root

Word History and Origins

Origin of rootlet¹

First recorded in 1785–95; root ¹ + -let

Example Sentences

Dalling noticed that the fronds were strongly embedded in the soil and had sprouted a network of rootlets.

From Science Daily

If it grows up a wall, it can damage stucco with its aerial rootlets.

From Seattle Times

And if the vines are cut off with clippers, some of the fuzzy rootlets will surely remain.

From Washington Post

They have been underground ever since, feeding on sap from the rootlets of grasses and trees and slowly maturing.

From Scientific American

I believe it was the last, deepest rootlet of my denial, expelled.

From The New Yorker