Root and branch
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
Completely and fundamentally, leaving no part of a system, practice or problem untouched. Usually describes sweeping reform, investigation or eradication. Root-and-branch is commonly hyphenated before a noun, while adverbial root and branch is usually open. Regional use: Biblical and seventeenth-century English political usage; now chiefly British English.
Origin
Root and branch uses the whole plant to represent a complete system from foundation to outward growth. The 1611 King James Bible's Malachi 4:1 says that destruction will leave the wicked neither root nor branch, preserving an older biblical image. In 1640 the English Root and Branch Petition asked Parliament to abolish episcopal church government with all its dependencies, roots and branches. That political document strongly established the phrase in reform language, but it adapted an existing image rather than demonstrably inventing it.
Research Sources
Variants
- Root-and-branch reform
Usage Examples
- The inquiry recommended root-and-branch reform of the procurement system.
- They rejected a minor adjustment and demanded that the policy be changed root and branch.
- Removing the malware required a root-and-branch review of network access.