taproot

Noun

taproot (plural taproots)

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.1950 July, “Traveller's Joy”, in Railway Magazine, page ii (advertisement)
   • Above the lower headcut, phreatophytic mesquite and little leaf sumac hug the banks, drawing pendulate water from the silts remaining from former marsh deposits and sending long taproots into channel stores.2007, Susan L. Woodward, “Modern Vegetation of the Murray Springs Area and the Upper San Pedro Valley”, in Caleb Vance Haynes, Bruce B. Huckell, editor, Murray Springs, page 58