Etymograph

English

redroot

From red + root.

A compound of red + root

Proto-Indo-European *h₁rewdʰ-

…

Proto-Germanic *raudaz

Proto-West Germanic *raud

Old English rēad

Middle English red ‘red’

English red

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

noun Any of several plants with red roots, such as the New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus), the gromwell (Lithospermum arvense), the bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), and Lachnanthes caroliniana.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / redroot