cause: The causes are a complex blend of local and national tensions.
germ: The germ of an idea took root in Rosemary's mind.
roo t beer (root beers ) N‑VAR Root beer is a fizzy non-alcoholic drink flavoured with the roots of various plants and herbs. It is popular in the United States. ● N‑COUNT A glass, can, or bottle of root beer can be referred to as a root beer . □ Kevin buys a root beer.
root|ed /ruː t I d/
1 ADJ If you say that one thing is rooted in another, you mean that it is strongly influenced by it or has developed from it. □ [+ in ] The crisis is rooted in deep rivalries between the two groups.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n, usu adv ADJ ] If someone has deeply rooted opinions or feelings, they believe or feel something extremely strongly and are unlikely to change. □ Racism is a deeply rooted prejudice which has existed for thousands of years.
3 → see also deep-rooted
4 PHRASE If you are rooted to the spot , you are unable to move because you are very frightened or shocked. □ We just stopped there, rooted to the spot.
roo t gi n|ger N‑UNCOUNT Root ginger is the stem of the ginger plant. It is often used in Chinese and Indian cooking.
root|less /ruː tləs/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] If someone has no permanent home or job and is not settled in any community, you can describe them as rootless . □ These rootless young people have nowhere else to go.
rope /roʊ p/ (ropes , roping , roped )
1 N‑VAR A rope is a thick cord or wire that is made by twisting together several thinner cords or wires. Ropes are used for jobs such as pulling cars, tying up boats, or tying things together. □ He tied the rope around his waist. □ …a piece of rope.
2 VERB If you rope one thing to another, you tie the two things together with a rope. □ [V n + to ] I roped myself to the chimney. [Also V n together ]
3 PHRASE If you give someone enough rope to hang themselves , you give them the freedom to do a job in their own way because you hope that their attempts will fail and that they will look foolish. □ The King has merely given the politicians enough rope to hang themselves.
4 PHRASE If you are learning the ropes , you are learning how a particular task or job is done. [INFORMAL ]
5 PHRASE If you know the ropes , you know how a particular job or task should be done. [INFORMAL ] □ The moment she got to know the ropes, there was no stopping her.
6 PHRASE If you describe a payment as money for old rope , you are emphasizing that it is earned very easily, for very little effort. [BRIT , INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ]
7 PHRASE If you show someone the ropes , you show them how to do a particular job or task. [INFORMAL ]
▸ rope in PHRASAL VERB [usu passive] If you say that you were roped in to do a particular task, you mean that someone persuaded you to help them do that task. [mainly BRIT , INFORMAL ] □ [be V -ed P + for ] Visitors were roped in for potato picking and harvesting. □ [get V -ed P to-inf] I got roped in to help with the timekeeping.
▸ rope off PHRASAL VERB If you rope off an area, you tie ropes between posts all around its edges so that people cannot enter it without permission. □ [V P n] You should rope off a big field and sell tickets. [Also V n P ]
ro pe lad|der (rope ladders ) also rope-ladder N‑COUNT A rope ladder is a ladder made of two long ropes connected by short pieces of rope, wood, or metal.
ropey /roʊ pi/ (ropier , ropiest ) ADJ If you say that something is ropey , you mean that its quality is poor or unsatisfactory. [BRIT , INFORMAL ] □ Your spelling's a bit ropey.
ro|sary /roʊ zəri/ (rosaries ) N‑COUNT A rosary is a string of beads that members of certain religions, especially Catholics, use for counting prayers. A series of prayers counted in this way is also called a rosary .
rose ◆◇◇ /roʊ z/ (roses )
1 Rose is the past tense of rise .
2 N‑COUNT A rose is a flower, often with a pleasant smell, which grows on a bush with stems that have sharp points called thorns on them. □ …a bunch of yellow roses.
3 N‑COUNT A rose is bush that roses grow on. □ Prune rambling roses when the flowers have faded.
4 COLOUR Something that is rose is reddish-pink in colour. [LITERARY ] □ …the rose and violet hues of a twilight sky.
5 PHRASE If you say that a situation is not a bed of roses , you mean that it is not as pleasant as it seems, and that there are some unpleasant aspects to it. □ We all knew that life was unlikely to be a bed of roses back in England.
rosé /roʊ ze I , [AM ] roʊze I / (rosés ) N‑VAR Rosé is wine which is pink in colour. □ The vast majority of wines produced in this area are reds or rosés.
rose|bud /roʊ zbʌd/ (rosebuds ) N‑COUNT A rosebud is a young rose whose petals have not yet opened out fully.
ro se-coloured in AM, use rose-colored PHRASE If you look at a person or situation through rose-coloured glasses or rose-tinted glasses , you see only their good points and therefore your view of them is unrealistic. In British English, you can also say that someone is looking through rose-coloured spectacles . □ Its influence can make you view life through rose-coloured glasses.
rose|hip /roʊ zh I p/ (rosehips ) N‑COUNT A rosehip is a bright red or orange fruit that grows on some kinds of rose bushes.
rose|mary /roʊ zməri, [AM ] -meri/ N‑UNCOUNT Rosemary is a herb used in cooking. It comes from an evergreen plant with small narrow leaves. The plant is also called rosemary .