R O O 



Root, Falft. See False. 



Root, Impojfible, is not only the fquare root of a nega- 

 tive quantity, but any other root denominated by any even 



number. Thus 



\/ — : > \/~ 1 ' \/~ 1 ' ° r '" 



- m / 1m I 



general . / — I, « / — x, are all impojfible roots, or 



quantities. Some call them imaginary roots or quantities. 

 See False Root. 



Root, Real. See False Root. 



Root, Refulual. See Residual. 



Roots of Equations, Extraction of the. See Extrac- 

 tion, REDUCTION of Equations, and Root of an Equation, 

 fupra. 



Roots, Radices, in Grammar, are the primitive words of 

 a language, whence others are compounded or derived. 



Thus the Latin Jluo is the root of flud.us, Jluxio, fiumen, 

 fluvialis, inftuxus, refluens,Jluclifer,JlucTifo7ius,Jludivagus, &c. 

 Thus alfo the Greek Sso; is the root of ohm:, ivOeoj, lyQwri- 



iu.<7\ir>:, &C. 



And thus alfo, though in a lefs proper fenfe, theDanifh 

 rood 'is the root of the Englifli word root ; the Latin radix 

 tin: root of the French racine, as rado is the root of radix ; 

 and perhaps po&os the root of rado. 



Roots, in the Hebrew language, confift of thofe letters that 

 are denominated radical (which fee), and are generally verbs, 

 confiding commonly of three, fometimes of two, and rarely 

 of four letters. Of whatever letters, whether radical or 

 fervile, any word confifts, it muft, at leait, contain one of a 

 radical character. The inveftigation of the radical and a 

 primitive is an objeft of importance in grammar. In order 

 to facilitate their inveitigation in the Hebrew, and other 

 Eaftern languages, it is neceffary to be well acquainted with 

 the divifion of the letters into radical and fervile (fee each 

 term), becaufe thefe laft muft be rejected before the root is 

 obtained. 



If the root confift of pure radicals, commonly three in 

 number, it is eafily found, and as eafily diverted of the fer- 

 viles which attend it. But, as the fervile letters may alio 

 conftitute roots, it is fometimes a matter of difficulty to 

 diftinguifh when thefe letters ought to beconfidered in their 

 radical, and when in their fervile capacity. This difficulty 

 is increafed in the verbs denominated imperfect. For, in 

 fome of their parts, either by contraftion, or commutation, 

 thefe verbs lofe fometimes one, fametimes two, of their 

 radical letters, which mull be reftored to their place before 

 the root can be exhibited in its true form. 



The learner muft therefore endeavour, by frequent prac- 

 tice, to acquire a dexterity in difcovcring the radical letters, 

 in divelling them of their ferviles, and in reftoring them 

 where they are loft by the abbreviated flexions. This exer- 

 cife is the more neceflary, as, in almoft all lexicons, the words 

 are arranged according to the alphabetical order of the roots. 

 Thefe are commonly printed in a larger character, and have 

 below them their derivatives, as children and defcendants. 

 By this plan, neither the fignification of any verb, nor of 

 any noun derived from it, can be found, till its root be in- 

 teitigated and determined. 



The, following directions will be found ufeful in the in- 

 veftigation of radical words. 



The chief things to be attended to are, what letters are 

 commonly fervile, either in nouns or verbs ; in what part of 

 the word they moft generally appear ; and what is the moll 

 probable conjecture to be formed, in order to reftore fuch 

 radicals as are loft by the abbreviated flexions. 



The fervile letters in nouns are fuch as form the feminine 

 gender, and the plural terminations, the prefixes, including 



Vol. XXX. 



R O V 



the figns of the cafes, the hec'mantic letters, and the pol- 

 feflive pronouns, or affixes. 



The fervile letter; in verbs are the perfonal prefixes and 

 poftfixes, formerly named the pronominal ferviles, the cha- 

 ra&eridics of the different forms, and the verbal affixes. 



1 and > whether inferted in nouns or veibs, mull be re- 

 jected in the inveftigation of the root. 



As the ferviles generally appear in greateil number at the 

 end of words, the moft proper method of difcovermg the 

 root feems to be this : 



Begin from the left hand, remove the ferviles as you go 

 along, retain the pure and the fuppofed radicals, rejeft the 

 inferted "\ and », reftore or commute the radicals loft by ab- 

 breviations, and, finally, reject the prefixes. 



DircQians for finding the Root, and for reftoring the deficient 

 Radicals. 



I. If, after rejefting the ferviles, three pure radicals 

 remain, you may conclude thefe to be the root. 



II. If only two remain, as is the common cafe in abbrevi- 

 ated roots, prefix to thefe either J or ' or infert 1 betwixt 

 them, or poftpone f\ or double the fecond. 



The inveftigation of roots is not peculiar to the Hebrew, 

 but common to all languages, and is of Angular ad- 

 vantage, if we would attend to accuracy and propriety of 

 writing. 



In fuch languages as do not admit of the diftinftion be- 

 tween radical and fervile letters, the following may be ob- 

 ferved as general rules for reducing words to their firft 

 principles. Let that part of the word which remains uiv 

 varied be confidered as the radical term, and let the changes 

 of termination be difregarded, or cut off. Compound words 

 muft be refolved into their component parts., and the pre- 

 pofitions excluded. In thofe words which feem reducible 

 to Hebrew roots confiding entirely of confonants, the inter- 

 mediate vowels employed for their enunciation, are not to 

 be confidered as effential, or as conftituting a part of the 

 root. See Wilfon's Elements of Hebrew Grammar. 

 Mafclef Gram. Heb. vol. i. c. 2 I. p. 214, &c. Robertfon's 

 Gram. Heb. Appendix, iii. 



The Greek and Hebrew tongues are learnt by roots. 

 Of di&ionaries, fome are in alphabetical order, others arc 

 difpofed by roots, as Scapula, Faber's Thefaurus, and the 

 firft edition of the Dictionary of the French Academy. 

 In the edition of 1718, this laft is thrown into the ufual 

 alphabetical order. 



ROOTS, in Geography, a town of Virginia, in the 

 Mattapony ; four miles N.E. of Well Point. 



Roots, a townfliip of Portage county, in the Ohio, con- 

 taining 2lfi inhabitants. 



ROOTWELT, in Hufbandry, a term applied to the hat- 

 tocks of grain, when the butt-ends of the {heaves are turned 

 up towards the wind and fun, in order to dry them. The 

 praftice is common in bad rainy harvefts. See Harvest, 

 and Harvesting Grain. 



ROPALON, in Botany, a name given by fome authors 

 to the nymphta, or water-lily, and alfo to the faba JEgyptia of 

 the river Nile. 



ROPE, an aftemrjlage of feveral twills or firings of hemp, 

 twilled together by means of a wheel ; of various ufes, as 

 in binding, flaying, drawing, fufpending, &C ; or, all cord- 

 age, in general, above one inch in circumference, moftly 

 made of hemp fpun into yarns or threads of a certain length ; 

 and a number of thefe yams or threads, according to the 

 fize of the rope, are twilled together, and called a ftrand. 

 Three of thefe llrands twilled or laid together, is called a 

 hawfer-laid rope, and nine of them a cable-laid rope. See 

 KuvK-Malim;. 



X X When 



