What does "taproot" mean?

A long, tapering root, exhibited by many plant species (such as carrots and dandelions).

What is a synonym for "taproot"?

Common synonyms include: beginning, bulb, bulbil, commencement, conception, corm.

//ˈtæpˌɹuːt// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Noun

1
A long, tapering root, exhibited by many plant species (such as carrots and dandelions).
"The taproots of trees like the false acacia, growing between Park Royal and Alperton, thrust deeply into the ground, while the spreading roots of the silver birch stitch the soil."
2
something that provides an important central source for growth or development wordnet
3
(botany) main root of a plant growing straight downward from the stem wordnet

"The excrescences found on this plant's taproot are entirely natural."

From tap + root. The oldest use (by Philemon Holland) is spaced as tap root. In the 18th and 19th centuries the standard spelling was tap-root.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.