Carotene

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A colored compound present in many vegetables and fruits that not only gives them their orange and yellow shades but also acts as a crucial precursor for vitamin A in the diet
2. An important organic pigment that enhances the yellow and orange coloration in a variety of plants, and also serves as a significant dietary source of vitamin A
3. A natural pigment responsible for the orange and yellow hues in numerous fruits and vegetables, while also playing a vital role in synthesizing vitamin A for human nutrition

Etymology: Carotene takes its name from the carrot, and the chain of borrowings behind that name runs through ancient Greece, Rome, medieval France and England. The Greek "karōtón" was a word for a carrot-like plant, and Latin borrowed it as "carōta." Medieval French then produced "carotte," which passed into Middle English as "karette," the ancestor of the modern English "carrot." The pigment got its name much later, when chemists isolated the orange compound from carrots and needed a label for it. The ending is the chemist's contribution. Scientists building names for organic compounds attached the suffix "-ene" to the root "carot," producing "carotene." Its history is therefore an unusual mix: an ancient Greek word for a vegetable, a route through Latin and French, and a modern scientific coinage.

Synonyms: pigment, antioxidant, vitamin A precursor, colorant, beta-carotene