carotid

American  

[kuh-rot-id] / kəˈrɒt ɪd /

noun

1. Also called carotid artery.  either of the two large arteries, one on each side of the head, that carry blood to the head and that divide into an external branch supplying the neck, face, and other external parts, and an internal branch supplying the brain, eye, and other internal parts.

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adjective

1. pertaining to a carotid artery.

carotid British  

/ kəˈrɒtɪd /

noun

1. either one of the two principal arteries that supply blood to the head and neck

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adjective

1. of or relating to either of these arteries

Other Word Forms

• carotidal adjective
• intercarotid adjective
• postcarotid adjective

Etymology

Origin of carotid

1660–70; < Greek karōtídes neck arteries, equivalent to karōt ( ikós ) soporific ( kár ( os ) stupor + -ōtikos -otic ) + -ides -id ¹; so called by Galen, who found that their compression causes stupor

Example Sentences

“These statements were lies,” Zapata Rivera alleges in an ongoing civil rights lawsuit he filed against the ICE agent who used the carotid restraint.

From Salon • Jan. 14, 2026

Doctors identified a carotid web in her neck - a rare shelf-like structure that can interrupt blood flow to the brain - as the cause and, in August, they performed surgery to remove it.

From BBC • Dec. 22, 2024

He took Nancy’s hand and helped her onto the exam table, checking for circulatory problems as he felt her lymph nodes and her carotid artery for signs of swelling.

From New York Times • Apr. 8, 2024

These complications include carotid artery calcification, calcification of the abdominal aorta and peripheral vessels in the lower extremities, and small vessel disease in the feet.

From Science Daily • Mar. 28, 2024

As we drive up to the building, I put my index and middle fingers on my carotid artery just behind my ear to take my pulse.

From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan