root and branch

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root and branch

Where it comes from

From the Bible. Used as a title for the Root and Branch petition presented to the Long Parliament on December 11, 1640.

adjective root-and-branch

not comparable Total, thorough, sweeping, complete, radical, drastic. When, in 1872, Sir Charles Dilke once more returned to the charge in the House of Commons, introducing a motion for a full enquiry into the Queen's expenditure with a view to a root and branch reform of the Civil List, […]
Similar: abject, frightful, absolute, prize, clean, arrant, categoric, categorical, complete, consummate, decided, downright

adverb root-and-branch

not comparable Totally, completely. "I can't help coming, sir," continued Mrs. Parker. "Where am I to go if I don't come? Mr. Lopez, sir, has ruined us root and branch,—root and branch."
Similar: absolutely, all-out, tout à fait, all the way, stone-cold, blind, altogether, stark, cold, at large, at length, cap-a-pie

Translations

Every language

adj complete, total — see also complete

Русский	радика́льный radikálʹnyj, коренно́й korennój

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MLA

"root and branch." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/root%20and%20branch. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

root and branch. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/root%20and%20branch

Chicago

"root and branch." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/root%20and%20branch.

BibTeX

@misc{root_and_branch_2026,
  title = {root and branch},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/root%20and%20branch},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}