sysroot

S1Y4S1R1O1O1T1

noun

A directory containing all the header files, configuration files and libraries required to build a program, often used in cross-compilation.

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Meanings

nounsysroot (plural sysroots)

plural sysroots

  1. computingA directory containing all the header files, configuration files and libraries required to build a program, often used in cross-compilation.

    The toolchain also comes with a matching sysroot for the target device because it needs access to various headers and libraries necessary to run on the target architecture. The sysroot is generated from the root filesystem and uses the same metadata configuration.

    2016, Alexandru Vaduva, Alex Gonzalez, Chris Simmonds, Linux: Embedded Development, Birmingham; Mumbai: Packt Publishing Ltd., →ISBN, page 146

Origin

From sys (“system”) + root (“the highest directory of a directory structure”).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

sysroot. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sysroot

MLA

“sysroot.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sysroot. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sysroot,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sysroot.

Source: sysroot on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.