Carrots

/ˈkɛrəts/ noun

Definition

Orange root vegetables that are cultivated worldwide and eaten both raw and cooked. They are rich in beta-carotene and are commonly used in cooking and as healthy snacks.

Etymology

From Middle French 'carotte,' from Latin 'carota,' from Greek 'karōton.' The vegetable was originally purple or white; the familiar orange color was developed by Dutch farmers in the 17th century in honor of the House of Orange.

Kelly Says

The belief that carrots improve night vision originated from a WWII British propaganda campaign to hide the fact that they had developed radar technology - they claimed their pilots' success was due to eating lots of carrots rather than revealing their technological advantage.

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.