We explore whether a root lattice may be similar to the lattice $mathscr O$ of integers of a number field $K$ endowed with the inner product $(x, y):={rm Trace}_{K/mathbb Q}(xcdottheta(y))$, where $theta$ is an involution of $K$. We classify all pairs $K$, $theta$ such that $mathscr O$ is similar to either an even root lattice or the root lattice $mathbb Z^{[K:mathbb Q]}$. We also classify all pairs $K$, $theta$ such that $mathscr O$ is a root lattice. In addition to this, we show that $mathscr O$ is never similar to a positive-definite even unimodular lattice of rank $leqslant 48$, in particular, $mathscr O$ is not similar to the Leech lattice. In appendix, we give a general cyclicity criterion for the primary components of the discriminant group of $mathscr O$.
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