ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Semitic root

Have you ever played with building blocks or Legos? Well, just like you can build different things by combining different blocks or pieces, words in some languages can be made by combining different parts called "roots".

In certain languages like Arabic and Hebrew, these roots are called "Semitic roots". These roots usually consist of three consonants (sounds made with the mouth) that don't change even when prefixes (like "un" or "dis") or suffixes (like "ing" or "ed") are added to them.

For example, the Semitic root "k-t-b" in Arabic means "to write". By adding different letters before or after the root, you can create different words that have to do with writing, such as "kitab" (book), "katib" (writer), and "kataba" (wrote).

Semitic roots are important because they help people to understand how different words in these languages are related to each other. It's like trying to figure out how different Lego sets have similar pieces that can be combined in different ways to create new and exciting things.