Etymology

rootbound

R1O1O1T1B3O1U1N1D2

Today it means: Having outgrown its pot, so that the roots are cramped and tangled. Full definition →

English bound ← Middle English bownde ← Old Norse búinn
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The story

  1. Englishroot
  2. Old Norsebúinn
  3. Middle Englishbownde
  4. Englishbound
  5. English todayrootbound

From root + -bound.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.