Emily Dickinson Lexicon

ROOT, v.i.² [or v. t. Sax. wrot, a snout or proboscis; wrotan, to dig or root; D. wroeten, G. reuten, Dan. roder, Sw. rota, to root. This seems to be of the same family as the former word and rod, from the use of the snout.]

To turn up the earth with the snout, as swine. Swine root to find worms; they root the ground wherever they come. To root up or out, to eradicate; to extirpate; to remove or destroy root and branch; to exterminate. – Deut. xxix. Job xxxi.