/boot is where the Linux kernel images, as well as parts of the bootloader are stored. The "root" is simply the uppermost directory in a Unix/Linux file system. Any directory that is not given it's own partition will be placed as a subdirectory in the file system on the "root" partition. Assuming you gave a partition to /etc, /bin, /boot, /usr, and so on, you wouldn't need a "root" partition at all.
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