Carotid
//kəˈɹɒt.ɪd// adj, noun
adj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Either of the two main arteries that supply blood to the head of which the left in humans arises from the arch of the aorta and the right by bifurcation of the brachiocephalic artery with each passing up the side of the neck and dividing opposite the upper border of the thyroid cartilage into an external branch supplying the face, tongue, and external parts of the head and an internal branch supplying the brain, eye, and other internal parts of the head.
"I shoot Mr. Marlow twice, severing jugulars and cartoids with near surgical precision. He will die watching me take what is his away from him. This is my design."
Adjective
- 1 Of or pertaining to the carotid artery. not-comparable
Adjective
- 1 of or relating to either of the two major arteries supplying blood to the head and neck wordnet
Example
More examples"Ziri stabbed Rima in the carotid."
Etymology
Borrowed from French carotide or New Latin carōtides, from Ancient Greek κᾰρωτῐ́δες (kărōtĭ́des, “carotid arteries”), from κᾰρόω (kăróō, “to plunge into deep sleep or torpor”) + -τῐ́δες (-tĭ́des, plural nominal suffix), from the fact that the carotid artery supplies blood to the brain, and interruption of this flow causes loss of consciousness.
Related phrases
More for "carotid"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.