This is the 1315th most frequent Spanish word.
raíz
Root.
Here, 'raíz' refers to the origin or underlying cause of an issue or situation.
La raíz del problema es la mala comunicación.
The root of the problem is poor communication.
In this sentence, 'raíces' (plural of 'raíz') denotes the physical parts of a plant anchoring it to the ground and absorbing nutrients.
Las raíces de los árboles se extienden por el suelo.
The roots of the trees spread across the ground.
The term 'raíces' in this context is used metaphorically to describe the linguistic origin or provenance of a word.