1. In linguistics:
* A basic word that forms the core of a more complex word. It's the foundation upon which prefixes and suffixes are added to create new words. For example, "act" is the root word of "action," "react," "actor," and "inactive." These root words often come from ancient languages like Latin or Greek.
2. In mathematics:
* The base or origin of a number or quantity. For example, the square root of 9 is 3, because 3 multiplied by itself equals 9. The cube root of 8 is 2, because 2 multiplied by itself three times equals 8.
In summary:
* Linguistic Root Word: The basic building block of a word, carrying the core meaning.
* Mathematical Root Word: The base or origin of a number or quantity.
To understand which meaning is intended, pay attention to the context of the sentence or situation.