English
roothole
From root + hole.
Proto-Indo-European *wréh₂ds ‘root’
Proto-Germanic *wrōts ‘root’
Old Norse rót ‘root’
Old English rōt ‘root’
Middle English rote ‘underground part of a plant’
English root
Proto-Germanic *hulaz ‘hollow’
Proto-Germanic *hulą ‘hollow space’
Proto-West Germanic *hol ‘hollow space, cavity’
Old English hol ‘hole, hollow place’
Middle English hole
English hole
Today it means
noun A hole in the ground formed by the growth of plant roots.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “roothole”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / roothole