carrot
[ kar-uh t ]
/ ˈkær ət /
noun
a plant, Daucus carota, of the parsley family, having pinnately decompound leaves and umbels of small white or yellow flowers, in its wild form a widespread, familiar weed, and in cultivation valued for its edible root.
the nutritious, orange to yellow root of this plant, eaten raw or cooked.
something hoped for or promised as a lure or incentive: To boost productivity, leaders hinted at the carrot of subsidized housing for the workers.
Compare stick1(def 8).
verb (used with object)
to treat (furs) with mercuric nitrate preparatory to felting.
Origin of carrot
1525–35; < Middle French
carotte < Late Latin
carōta < Greek
karōtón, derivative of
kárē head, with suffix as in
kephalōtón onion, derivative of
kephalḗ head
Words nearby carrot
carrollton,
carrom,
carromata,
carron oil,
carronade,
carrot,
carrot and stick,
carrot fly,
carrot-top,
carroty,
carrousel
Example sentences from the Web for carrot
British Dictionary definitions for carrot
carrot
/ (ˈkærət) /
noun
an umbelliferous plant, Daucus carota sativa, with finely divided leaves and flat clusters of small white flowers
See also wild carrot
the long tapering orange root of this plant, eaten as a vegetable
- something offered as a lure or incentive
- carrot and stick reward and punishment as methods of persuasion
Word Origin for carrot
C16: from Old French
carotte, from Late Latin
carōta, from Greek
karōton; perhaps related to Greek
karē head