carrot

[ kar-uht ]

noun

1. 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.
2. the nutritious, orange to yellow root of this plant, eaten raw or cooked.
3. something hoped for or promised as a lure or incentive: Compare stick ¹( def 8 ).

   To boost productivity, leaders hinted at the carrot of subsidized housing for the workers.

verb (used with object)

1. to treat (furs) with mercuric nitrate preparatory to felting.

carrot

/ ˈkærət /

noun

1. an umbelliferous plant, Daucus carota sativa, with finely divided leaves and flat clusters of small white flowers See also wild carrot
2. the long tapering orange root of this plant, eaten as a vegetable
3. 1. something offered as a lure or incentive
   2. reward and punishment as methods of persuasion

Word History and Origins

Origin of carrot¹

1525–35; < Middle French carotte < Late Latin carōta < Greek karōtón, derivative of kárē head, with suffix as in kephalōtón onion, derivative of kephalḗ head

Word History and Origins

Origin of carrot¹

C16: from Old French carotte, from Late Latin carōta, from Greek karōton; perhaps related to Greek karē head

Example Sentences

Grimmway Farms, an organic vegetables producer based in California, has initiated a voluntary recall of various sizes and brands of bagged carrots.

From Salon

"Brazil has been very good at the stick so far, but with the carrot we haven't been that good," he said.

From BBC

One Los Angeles County senior has died amid a national recall on carrots found to be contaminated with E. coli.

From Los Angeles Times

Organic and baby carrots sold at grocery stores across the US have been recalled after an E. coli outbreak that has killed one person.

From BBC

The Swedish checklist recommends potatoes, cabbage, carrots and eggs along with tins of bolognese sauce and prepared blueberry and rosehip soup.

From BBC

Related Words

• accolade
• advantage
• bonus
• bounty
• championship
• citation
• crown
• dividend
• gold
• honor
• inducement
• jackpot
• medal
• payoff
• purse
• reward
• scholarship
• title
• trophy
• windfall