rootlet

noun

Etymology: Etymology tree English root Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Latin -lus Latin -ellus Old French -el Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Italic *-tosder.? Late Latin -ittus Old French -et Old French -eletbor. Middle English -let English -let English rootlet From root + -let.

1. One of the smallest roots, hair roots.

   “She can almost hear them pushing up through the soil, their rootlets sniffing for nutrients and crowding the rootlets of their neighbours, their leaves releasing clouds of airborne chemicals.”