Rhizome
noun /ˈraɪ.zəʊm/ — A horizontal underground stem that sends out roots and shoots; a network model without a centre.
Definition
A continuously growing horizontal underground stem that puts out lateral shoots and adventitious roots at intervals. In philosophy: Deleuze and Guattari adopted 'rhizome' as a model for non-hierarchical thinking — networks with no centre, no beginning, no end.
Beyond the definition
The rhizome is the underground network that makes the surface possible. It connects what appears separate. It grows sideways, not up. It has no head and no end. Some ideas — and some communities — are rhizomatic.
Origin & history
Greek: 'rhizōma' (mass of roots). From 'rhiza' (root). Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari appropriated the botanical term in 'A Thousand Plateaus' (1980) as a philosophical concept for non-hierarchical, decentralised networks.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The ginger plant is a rhizome — the underground stem you harvest is the plant's actual body.
Jazz is rhizomatic: no centre, no origin you can locate, connecting everything underground.
The internet was designed as a rhizome — no central node, designed to route around any point of failure.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Rhizome” when the meaning fits your context: A continuously growing horizontal underground stem that puts out lateral shoots and adventitious roots at intervals. In philosophy: Deleuze and Guattari adopted 'rhizome' as a model for non-hierarchical thinking — networks with no centre, no beginning, no end.
Synonyms
root network, underground stem
Antonyms
tree structure, hierarchy
Related words
Rhizome vs root
Roots primarily anchor plants and absorb nutrients. A rhizome is a horizontal stem that grows underground and can produce new shoots and roots.
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Sedimentary Rock and Fossil Layers
A workbench with layered sedimentary stone, a spiral fossil, and quartz crystals beside a cutaway cliff showing horizontal strata in the background.
The horizontal strata of the cliff serve as a visual model of a rhizome. Like the philosophical concept of a non-hierarchical network, these layers spread horizontally without a clear center or beginning, representing an interconnected structure of history that spans across the landscape indefinitely.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Rhizome" mean?
Rhizome is noun meaning: A horizontal underground stem that sends out roots and shoots; a network model without a centre.. A continuously growing horizontal underground stem that puts out lateral shoots and adventitious roots at intervals. In philosophy: Deleuze and Guattari adopted 'rhizome' as a model for non-hierarchical thinking — networks with no centre, no beginning, no end.
Where does the word "Rhizome" come from?
Greek: 'rhizōma' (mass of roots). From 'rhiza' (root). Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari appropriated the botanical term in 'A Thousand Plateaus' (1980) as a philosophical concept for non-hierarchical, decentralised networks.