I. ˈkarət also -er, usu -əd.+V noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle French carotte, from Late Latin carota, modification of Greek karōton; probably akin to Greek kara head — more at cerebral
1.
a. : a biennial plant ( Daucus carota ) having a yellow or orange-red tapering root that is used as a vegetable
b. : the root of this plant
2. : something felt to resemble a carrot in shape or color:
a. : a spindle-shaped bundle of rolled and twisted tobacco leaves
b. : a red-haired person
3. : a chemical agent used in producing hatter's felt from fur
4.
[so called from the traditional method of urging a donkey on by holding a carrot in front of him]
: a promised often illusory reward or advantage used especially as a political enticement
failed to offer the community either the carrot of private enterprise or the stick of compulsion — D.B.Copland
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: so called from the color of fur so treated
: to treat (fur) with a chemical agent (as a solution of mercuric nitrate) to improve the felting property
• car·rot·er -əd.ə(r) noun -s