Wurzel

Wurzel is a German noun meaning root. In everyday language, it refers to the part of a plant that anchors it in the soil and absorbs water and nutrients. Plant Wurzels can form different systems, such as a taproot or a fibrous network, and they typically include root hairs that increase the surface area for uptake.

In mathematics, Wurzel denotes a root of a number or an equation. The square Wurzel of a number is the value that, when multiplied by itself, yields the original number. Higher roots, such as cube roots, are also used. The radical symbol (√) is commonly employed to indicate a root, and for non-negative real numbers a principal Wurzel is defined. In the complex numbers, a given value may have several roots.

In linguistics and word formation, Wurzel can refer to the root morpheme—the core portion of a word from which other forms are derived. The concept is central to understanding how languages build related words from a common base.

In computing, the term root is used to describe the top level of a hierarchical file system, the root directory, as well as a user account with superuser privileges on many systems. In German technical usage, Wurzel and the borrowed term root are both encountered, with Wurzel often conveying the idea of a fundamental basis in various contexts.