Refers to the root or lower part of something, often in a physical or figurative sense. The reading ねがた is a variant, but ねかた is more common.
Dig up the root of the tree.
There is a small village at the foot of the mountain.
Standard kanji spelling.
Compound of 根 (ne, 'root') and 方 (kata, 'direction' or 'side'), literally 'root side'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the meaning is transparent from its components.