carrot
ˈkærət
noun
Origin
Ancient Greek
karōton — carrot
Overview
Meaning Now
- A tapering orange-colored root vegetable, Daucus carota, widely cultivated as a food crop.
Language path
Proto-Indo-European → Ancient Greek → Middle French → Middle English → English
Earliest form
carote
Earliest period
16th century
Journey
While wild carrots originated in Central Asia and were often purple or white, the modern orange variety was popularized in the Netherlands during the 17th century, possibly as a tribute to the House of Orange.
Evolution
- Ancient Greek
karōton
“carrot”
- Latin
carōta
“carrot”
- Middle French
carotte
“carrot”
- Early Modern English
carrot
“carrot”
Appearance in English as a replacement for the older 'skirret'
Connections
Word parts
carrot
root
the vegetable itself
Related across languages
French
carotte
carrot
German
Karotte
carrot
Explore next
Related to carrot
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.