# carrot

Pronunciation: say "KAR-uht" /ˈkæɹ.ət/

## Noun

1. A vegetable grown for its nutritious, juicy, sweet root, usually orange, of the species Daucus carota.
   - Simple: An orange root vegetable with a sweet taste, often eaten raw or cooked.
   - _He pulled a fresh carrot from the soil and brushed off the dirt._
   - _The recipe calls for two carrots, finely grated._
2. A reward or incentive offered as a way to motivate someone to do something.
   - Simple: A reward used to make someone want to do something.
   - _Management dangled the promise of promotion as a carrot to boost productivity._
   - _The treaty used trade benefits as a carrot to bring the smaller nations on board._
3. A shade of orange that resembles the flesh of most carrots, also known as carrot orange.
   - Simple: An orange color like the inside of the common root vegetable.
   - _The designer chose carrot for the accent wall._
   - _His sweater was a vivid carrot that stood out in the crowd._
4. A teasing nickname, usually in the form 'Carrots', for a person with red or ginger hair. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A teasing name, usually 'Carrots', for someone with red hair.
   - _With her bright copper hair, she got used to strangers on the street calling her Carrots._
   - _He hated being called Carrots as a kid, but now he is proud of his red hair._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A derogatory term for someone from a rural background.
- (noun) A police officer from somewhere in the British Isles, outside Greater London.
- (verb) To treat an animal pelt with a solution of mercuric nitrate as part of making felt.

## Origin

Latin carōta, taken from Ancient Greek καρωτόν (karōtón), passed into Middle French as carotte and into Middle English as karette, and English drew on both. It is a doublet of carotte, is related to caraway, and took the place of the native Middle English word more.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/carrot (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).