carotenoid

or ca·rot·i·noid

[ kuh-rot-n-oid ]

/ kəˈrɒt nˌɔɪd /

Biochemistry

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noun

any of a group of red and yellow pigments, chemically similar to carotene, contained in animal fat and some plants.

adjective

similar to carotene.

pertaining to carotenoids.

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Origin of carotenoid

First recorded in 1910–15; carotene + -oid

Words nearby carotenoid

carom, carom ball, Caroní, Caro's acid, carotene, carotenoid, Carothers, carotid, carotid artery, carotid body, carotid sinus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use carotenoid in a sentence

The concentration of carotenoids in the serum drops dramatically, and the flamingos apply it far less frequently.
Flamingos dye their sun-faded feathers to stay pretty in pink|Rebecca Dzombak|October 26, 2021|Science News
After exposure, she found that feathers with a greater concentration of carotenoids had kept more color.
Flamingos dye their sun-faded feathers to stay pretty in pink|Rebecca Dzombak|October 26, 2021|Science News
Before the exposure experiment, Chiale had extracted carotenoids from both the surface and interior of each feather.
Flamingos dye their sun-faded feathers to stay pretty in pink|Rebecca Dzombak|October 26, 2021|Science News
Sunbirds have feather colors that come from a mix of sources, including pigments like fiery carotenoids and dark melanin as well as iridescent structural color.
Sunbirds’ dazzling feathers are hot, in both senses of the word|Jake Buehler|August 17, 2021|Science News

British Dictionary definitions for carotenoid

carotenoid

carotinoid

/ (kəˈrɒtɪˌnɔɪd) /

noun

any of a group of red or yellow pigments, including carotenes, found in plants and certain animal tissues

adjective

of or resembling carotene or a carotenoid

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for carotenoid

carotenoid

[ kə-rŏt′n-oid′ ]

Any of a class of yellow to red pigments found especially in plants, algae, and photosynthetic bacteria. Carotenoids generally consist of conjoined units of the hydrocarbon isoprene, with alternating single and double bonds. The carotenoids absorb light energy of certain frequencies and transfer it to chlorophyll for use in photosynthesis. They also act as antioxidants for chlorophyll, protecting it from damage by oxidation in the presence of sunlight. Carotenoids are nutritionally important for many animals, giving flamingoes their color, for example, and also have antioxidant properties. There are many types of carotenoids, including carotenes and xanthophylls. See more at photosynthesis.