<p><strong>Noun</strong></p><ul><li>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.</li><li>the nutritious, orange to yellow root of this plant, eaten raw or cooked.</li><li>something hoped for or promised as a lure or incentive: Compare stick 1 (def 8).</li><li>To boost productivity, leaders hinted at the carrot of subsidized housing for the workers.</li></ul><p><strong>Verb</strong></p><ul><li>(used with object) to treat (furs) with mercuric nitrate preparatory to felting.</li></ul>