Main Entry: ca·rot·en·oid

Variant(s): also ca·rot·in·oid \kə-ˈrät-^ən-ˌȯid\

Function: noun

: 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