carbon

Pluralcarbons

Formscarbons, carboning, carboned

1. 1
   chemical elementnouncountable or uncountable

   The chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6, found as graphite and diamond and in all living things; also, a single atom of it.

   Like the letters of an alphabet combining into countless words: carbon links up to build the molecules of life.

   Carbon forms the backbone of every organic molecule.

   Scientists can date ancient bones by measuring a rare form of carbon inside them.

   Note

   A chemist's coinage: Antoine Lavoisier made French carbone from Latin carbō, "charcoal, coal", possibly from a root meaning "to burn". The element is uncountable (made of carbon, rich in carbon), yet chemists count its atoms inside a molecule and speak of a ring of six carbons. Its usual tetravalence, four bonds from almost every atom, is what lets it form the backbone of life's molecules. Source

   Checked 7 Nov 2026 · 6 facts

   • Antoine Lavoisier coined French carbone from Latin. en.wiktionary.org
   • Latin carbō means charcoal or coal. en.wiktionary.org
   • The Latin word possibly derives from a root meaning to burn. en.wiktionary.org
   • A molecule can contain a ring of six carbon atoms. openstax.org
   • Carbon is usually tetravalent, forming four bonds in stable organic compounds. en.wikipedia.org
   • Carbon forms the structural basis of biological macromolecules. openstax.org
2. 2
   greenhouse gasnoununcountableabbreviationellipsis

   Short form of carbon dioxide.

   The new policy aims to cut the country's carbon by half within a decade.

   Coal-burning power plants release more carbon into the air than almost any other source.

   UsageIn careful or technical writing, carbon dioxide in full is clearer, since carbon alone can mean the element.

   Note

   Climate talk has shortened carbon dioxide to its first word. The clipped form now heads a whole family of compounds: carbon neutral, carbon capture, carbon bomb. In these, carbon often means the gas released by combustion and taken up by plants, so cutting carbon means cutting emissions.

3. 3
   strong fibernouncolloquialuncountableabbreviationellipsis

   Short form of carbon fiber.

   The team switched to carbon to shave weight off the chassis.

   Most high-end road bikes now have frames built from carbon.

   UsageIn specifications and careful writing, carbon fiber is clearer, since carbon alone can mean the element.

   Note

   In casual talk, carbon fiber clips to carbon, especially before another noun, as in a carbon bike frame. What is meant is usually the composite, an epoxied laminate that is strong and lightweight, rather than the raw filament or the cloth made from it.

4. 4
   sootnoununcountable

   The black residue left when fuel burns incompletely, either as fine soot or as a hard, caked deposit that builds up inside engines, chimneys, and similar places.

   The mechanic scraped a thick crust of carbon off the engine's valves.

   Burning the lamp all night left a film of carbon on the glass.

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