radicado

Radicado is a term used in different contexts, most commonly in mathematics and in descriptions of residence. In mathematics, radicado refers to the quantity under a radical sign, what in English is called the radicand. It is the value from which a root is extracted, as in the square root of 25, where 25 is the radicado. The concept applies to numbers, polynomials, or more complex expressions inside radical symbols.

In practical use, the radicado determines the outcome of the root. For real numbers, the principal square root requires a nonnegative radicado; negative radicands lead to complex numbers. The radicado can often be simplified by factoring out perfect powers: for example, sqrt(50) equals sqrt(25·2) and simplifies to 5·sqrt(2). Similar rules apply to higher-order roots, where the radicado may be a product or a polynomial expression; the goal is to extract factors that are perfect powers.

Outside mathematics, radicado also functions as an adjective or noun in Spanish to describe someone or a thing that has established residence in a place. For example, “una empresa radicada en Madrid” means based or registered in Madrid. The verb radicar carries senses of taking root, lying, or being based in a location, or metaphorically, of ideas or traditions that originate there.

Etymologically, radicado derives from radic-, related to radix or root, reflecting the idea of something rooted or placed at a location—whether a number under a radical or a person residing in a place.