English
rootward
From root + -ward.
Formed from root + -ward
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
Today it means
adj Toward the root of a plant.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “rootward”. 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 / rootward