hairy root
- noun
- /ˈhɛri ruːt/
- Specialized
:
raíz peluda
- The scientist studied the hairy roots from the infected apple tree to understand crown gall disease.
- hairy roots from cotton
- hairy root culture
Examples
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"Once the bacterium invades plant leaf cells, it signals them to create lots of hairy roots," explains Triplett, who works at ARS's Southern Regional Research Center (SRRC).
Academic text (2005) -
These results show that the hairy roots can be used to produce dsRNAs.
Blog text (27) -
So about two years ago, Triplett began studies of whether hairy root cultures from cotton could produce it abundantly.
Academic text (2005) -
Stephanie Moss transfers cotton hairy roots that will be analyzed for gossypol.
Academic text (2005) -
These so-called hairy roots owe their dramatic growth to a particular kind of disease-causing bacterium found in soil, Rhizobium rhizogenes.
Academic text (2005) -
These hairy roots are critical for the plant's ability to absorb nutrients in contaminated soil.
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Researchers are experimenting with hairy roots to enhance the production of valuable plant compounds.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly composed from 'hairy' (covered in hair or hair-like structures) and 'root' (plant organ), so 'hairy root' is predictably understood as roots that are fine or hair-like. Although the term is technical/rare in botany, the adjective+noun composition is transparent and cross-linguistically obvious, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the meaning.
Etymology
Hairy root comes from the way the plant's root looks: many thin, hairy roots growing from the base. So, it means an unusual mass of fine roots often caused by a 'crown gall' disease.
