Main Entry:

ca·rot·en·oid

Variant(s):

also ca·rot·in·oid \kə-ˈrä-tə-ˌnȯid\

Function:

noun

Date:

1911

: any of various usually yellow to red pigments (as carotenes) found widely in plants and animals and characterized chemically by a long aliphatic polyene chain composed of eight isoprene units

— carotenoid adjective