CAROTENOID

• CAROTENOID (noun)
  The noun CAROTENOID has 1 sense:

1. any of a class of highly unsaturated yellow to red pigments occurring in plants and animals

  Familiarity information: CAROTENOID used as a noun is very rare.

• CAROTENOID (noun)

Meaning:

Any of a class of highly unsaturated yellow to red pigments occurring in plants and animals

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("carotenoid" is a kind of...):

antioxidant (substance that inhibits oxidation or inhibits reactions promoted by oxygen or peroxides)

pigment (dry coloring matter (especially a powder to be mixed with a liquid to produce paint etc))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "carotenoid"):

carotene (yellow or orange-red fat-soluble pigments in plants)

lycopene (carotenoid that makes tomatoes red; may lower the risk of prostate cancer)

beta-carotene (an isomer of carotene that is found in dark green and dark yellow fruits and vegetables)

lutein; xanthophyl; xanthophyll (yellow carotenoid pigments in plants and animal fats and egg yolks)

zeaxanthin (yellow carotenoid (isomeric with lutein and occurs widely with it) that is the main pigment in yellow Indian corn)