carrot
[ kar-uht ]
/ ˈkær ət /
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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.
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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
Carroll, Lewis, Carrollton, carromata, carronade, carron oil, carrot, carrot and stick, carrot fly, carrot-top, carroty, carrousel
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
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 flowersSee 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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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