Rooters

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of enthusiastic supporters or fans rallying for a team or cause
2. Individuals who cheer and promote a particular sports team during games or competitions
3. People who actively encourage or celebrate the efforts of others in various activities or events

Etymology: Pigs root by digging into the ground with their snouts, and that literal sense lies behind this word. "Root" originally meant to grub or dig up the earth. In American English it took on a figurative sense, to cheer on a person or team, as if the supporter were digging in for them. A rooter is one who does this cheering, formed by adding the agent suffix "-er" to the verb. The term is most closely tied to American sports, where the spectator in the stands became the rooter, and it spread from there into general speech. The related phrase "root for," meaning to hope for someone's success, expresses the same idea in a looser form. The word is a native English formation rather than a borrowing, so its story is mostly about how an earthy verb came to describe enthusiasm.