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Definition of "taproot" [tap•root]

  • The main root of a plant, usually stouter than the lateral roots and growing straight downward from the stem. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "taproot" in a sentence
  • "Tepary beans’ taproot is twice as long as common beans’ (Phaseolus vulgaris), which allows teparies to efficiently take advantage of even small amounts of soil moisture."
  • "It had something called a taproot that grew underground and stored energy for the cactus to use if there was a drought."
  • "When I asked what she was doing, she said something in her thick Polish accent, something about a graft, something about a taproot, something about how gardening was how she liked to spend her day off."