Quietly distribute root (7)
I believe the answer is:
shallot
'root' is the definition.
'quietly distribute' is the wordplay.
'quietly' becomes 'sh'.
'distribute' becomes 'allot' ('allot' can be a synonym of 'distribute'**).
'sh'+'allot'='SHALLOT'
(Other definitions for shallot that I've seen before include "salad vegetable" , "Small onion" , "One may get into a stew" , "Edible onion-like bulb" , "Host all with kind of onion" .)