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# taproot

«taproot» in Mova's school dictionary: **a large main root that grows straight down into the…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 1 sentence of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (a taproot, taproots)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A taproot is a large main root that grows straight down into the ground, with smaller roots growing off it. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/taproot/#m1)

2) Carrots, parsnips, radishes and dandelions have taproots. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/taproot/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In science lessons on plants it is compared with fibrous roots (many thin roots, like grass). A taproot anchors the plant and reaches water deep down; in carrots and beetroot it also stores food, which is why we eat it. Phrases: «a long taproot», «taproot and fibrous roots».

### examples

- A carrot is a taproot that stores food. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/taproot/#x1)
- Dandelions are hard to pull up because of their long taproot. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/taproot/#x2)
- Grass has fibrous roots, but a carrot has a taproot. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/taproot/#x3)
- The oak tree's taproot grows deep to find water. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/taproot/#x4)
- Draw a taproot and label the side roots. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/taproot/#x5)
- Parsnips and radishes are taproots too. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/taproot/#x6)

### note

Countable; one word (sometimes «tap root»). Opposite type: fibrous roots. A taproot is still a root, not a stem, even when we eat it.

### In the corpora

- [Dandelion seeds float on tiny parachutes into pavement cracks, where dust and water collect, and a long taproot finds water deep down.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/14-the-city-as-a-habitat/9/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «taproot» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/taproot/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.