# carbon

Pronunciation: say "KAR-buhn" US /ˈkɑɹ.bən/, UK /ˈkɑːbən/

## Noun

1. 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.
   - Simple: A chemical element found in graphite, diamonds, and all living things, or one atom of it.
   - _Carbon forms the backbone of every organic molecule._
   - _Scientists can date ancient bones by measuring a rare form of carbon inside them._
2. Short form of carbon dioxide. — Ellipsis of carbon dioxide.
   - Simple: Short form of carbon dioxide. Used for the gas that traps heat and warms the planet.
   - _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._
3. Short form of carbon fiber. *(colloquial)* — Ellipsis of carbon fiber (reinforced polymer).
   - Simple: Short form of carbon fiber. It is a strong, light material used in bikes, cars, and planes.
   - _The team switched to carbon to shave weight off the chassis._
   - _Most high-end road bikes now have frames built from carbon._
4. 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.
   - Simple: The black dirt left when something burns, like soot, that can build up in engines and chimneys.
   - _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._
5. A duplicate of a document, especially one made at the same time as the original using carbon paper. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A copy of a written page, made at the same time as the original.
   - _The clerk filed a carbon of each memo for the records._
   - _Lawyers once stored carbons of every signed agreement._
6. A sheet of carbon paper, placed between two pages to transfer writing onto the lower one. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A sheet of inky paper that makes a copy as you write on the page above.
   - _She slipped a fresh carbon under the top sheet._
   - _The supply box held a hundred carbons for the typewriters._
7. A fuel made mostly of impure carbon, such as coal or charcoal.
   - Simple: A fuel such as coal or charcoal that is made mostly of carbon.
8. A rod, plate, or other piece of carbon used as an electrode, as in an arc lamp or a battery cell.
   - Simple: A piece of carbon that carries electricity in a lamp or a battery.
   - _The technician replaced the worn carbon in the searchlight._
   - _The arc went out when the two carbons burned too far apart._

## Verb

9. To send someone a carbon copy of an email message; to add as a copied recipient. *(rare)*
   - Simple: To send someone a copy of an email you are sending to another person.

## Origin

English took the word from French carbone, which Antoine Lavoisier coined from Latin carbō, carbōnem ('charcoal, coal'). The Latin word may go back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to burn'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/carbon (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).