Carotene
WordNet
noun
(1) Yellow or orange-red fat-soluble pigments in plants
(2) An orange isomer of an unsaturated hydrocarbon found in many plants; is converted into vitamin A in the liver
WiktionaryText
English
Noun
- A class of tetraterpene plant pigments; they vary in colour from yellow, through orange to red, this colour originating in a chain of alternating single and double bonds.
- Specifically, a number of isomers of tetraterpene hydrocarbons, C40H56, (especially beta-carotene), present in carrots etc, which are converted into vitamin A in the liver.