IPA: /ˈruːtləsnəs/
KK: /ˈrutləsnəs/
The state of not having a permanent home or connection to a place, often leading to feelings of disconnection or instability.
After moving from city to city for years, she felt a deep sense of rootlessness.
Rootlessness is formed from "root" (from Old English "wurt" meaning the part of a plant that attaches it to the ground) and "-less" (meaning without). The word describes a state of being without roots or a sense of belonging.
Think of 'roots' as the part of a plant that keeps it grounded, and '-less' means without. So, rootlessness means being without a sense of grounding or belonging.