carrot

carrot
carrot 1530s, from M.Fr. carrotte, from L. carota, from Gk. karoton "carrot," from PIE *kre-, from root *ker- "horn, head," so called for its horn-like shape. Originally white-rooted and a medicinal plant to the ancients, who used it as an aphrodisiac and to prevent poisoning. Not entirely distinguished from parsnips in ancient times. Reintroduced in Europe by Arabs c.1100. The orange carrot, perhaps as early as 6c., probably began as a mutation of the Asian purple carrot and was cultivated into the modern edible plant 16c.-17c. in the Netherlands. Planted as a garden vegetable by 1609 by Jamestown colonists.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • carrot — [kar′ət] n. [MFr carotte < L carota < Gr karōton, carrot; akin to kara, head: see HORN] 1. a biennial plant (Daucus carota) of the umbel family, with fernlike leaves and compound umbels of white flowers, usually with one red flower in the… …   English World dictionary

  • Carrot — Nom assez fréquent dans la Loire et la Haute Loire. Il semble s agir d un toponyme avec le sens de lieu rocheux (racine pré indoeuropéenne kar, car). Un hameau s appelle Carrot à Tiranges (43). Autre possibilité : diminutif du mot char (surnom… …   Noms de famille

  • carrot — ► NOUN 1) the tapering orange root of a plant of the parsley family, eaten as a vegetable. 2) something enticing offered as a means of persuasion: training that relies more on the carrot than on the stick. ORIGIN Greek kar ton …   English terms dictionary

  • Carrot — Car rot, n. [F. carotte, fr. L. carota; cf. Gr. ?] 1. (Bot.) An umbelliferous biennial plant ({Daucus Carota}), of many varieties. [1913 Webster] 2. The esculent root of cultivated varieties of the plant, usually spindle shaped, and of a reddish… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Carrot — This article is about the cultivated vegetable. For other uses, see Carrot (disambiguation). Carrot …   Wikipedia

  • carrot — /kar euht/, n. 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… …   Universalium

  • carrot — noun 1 vegetable ADJECTIVE ▪ raw ▪ cooked, steamed ▪ baby ▪ chopped, diced (esp. BrE), grated …   Collocations dictionary

  • carrot — car|rot [ˈkærət] n [Date: 1400 1500; : French; Origin: carotte, from Late Latin, from Greek karoton] 1.) [U and C] a long pointed orange vegetable that grows under the ground ▪ grated carrots ▪ carrot juice 2.) informal …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • carrot */ — UK [ˈkærət] / US [ˈkerət] noun Word forms carrot : singular carrot plural carrots 1) [countable/uncountable] a long hard orange vegetable that grows under the ground and has green leaves on its top 2) [countable] informal something that someone… …   English dictionary

  • carrot — /ˈkærət / (say karuht) noun 1. a plant of the umbelliferous genus Daucus, especially D. carota, in its wild form a widespread, familiar weed, and in cultivation valued for its reddish edible root. 2. the root of this plant. 3. an incentive: to… …  

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