What Is the Origin of the Word Carbon

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carbon

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noun

Chemistry. a widely distributed element that forms organic compounds in combination with hydrogen, oxygen, etc., and that occurs in a pure state as diamond and graphite, and in an impure state as charcoal. Symbol: C; atomic weight: 12.011; atomic number: 6; specific gravity: (of diamond) 3.51 at 20°C; (of graphite) 2.26 at 20°C.

carbon dioxide or other carbon compounds that are emitted into the atmosphere and cause rising temperatures: the carbon produced by burning fossil fuels.

Electricity.

1. the carbon rod through which current is conducted between the electrode holder and the arc in carbon arc lighting or welding.
2. the rod or plate, composed in part of carbon, used in batteries.

adjective

pertaining to or noting the element carbon or any of its compounds, especially carbon dioxide: to reduce carbon emissions.

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Origin of carbon

1780–90; <French carbone, coinage based on Latin carbōn- (stem of carbō) charcoal

OTHER WORDS FROM carbon

car·bon·less, adjective non·car·bon, noun

Words nearby carbon

carbo load, carbo-loading, Carboloy, carboluria, car bomb, carbon, carbon 12, carbon 13, carbon 14, carbon-14 dating, carbonaceous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to carbon

How to use carbon in a sentence

• This month, Elon Musk donated $100 million toward a prize for carbon-capture ideas.

• The RS model has a five-layer, carbon-reinforced plastic top, which Audi says is a first for the segment.

• The fashion industry is notoriously wasteful, accounting for 10 percent of global carbon emissions and putting as much as nine million tons of textiles in landfills each year.

• Although unconnected, the moves show that despite a general drop in spending because of the pandemic, some energy companies are willing to invest heavily to get big low-carbon projects moving ahead of their competitors.

• China, the world's largest emitter, has promised to reach zero net carbon emissions by 2060.

• It reacts very readily with oxygen by burning smokelessly, with carbon dioxide and water as its byproducts.

• Methane (chemical formula CH4) is one of the simplest hydrocarbons, which literally means "containing hydrogen and carbon."

• Al Gore, however, sold his Current TV channel to Al Jazeera, which is funded by the royal family of famously carbon neutral Qatar.

• Other psychiatrists attempted to treat schizophrenia with carbon dioxide gas and artificially-induced comas.

• And "stinking rich" is the smell of zero carbon emissions at eco-friendly tech company campuses.

• What are a few paltry, lumps of crystallised carbon compared to a galaxy of a million million suns?

• The carbon dioxid evolved distends the stomach, and its outline can easily be determined by percussion.

• Carbon is the largest constituent of plants, and forms, in round numbers, about 50 per cent of their weight when dry.

• The particular phenomena of vegetation also afford abundant evidence that humus cannot be the only source of carbon.

• The composition of animal caseine differs from this principally in the amount of carbon.

British Dictionary definitions for carbon

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noun

1. a nonmetallic element existing in the three crystalline forms: graphite, diamond, and buckminsterfullerene: occurring in carbon dioxide, coal, oil, and all organic compounds. The isotope carbon-12 has been adopted as the standard for atomic wt; carbon-14, a radioisotope with a half-life of 5700 years, is used in radiocarbon dating and as a tracer. Symbol: C; atomic no: 6; atomic wt: 12.011; valency: 2, 3, or 4; relative density: 1.8–2.1 (amorphous), 1.9–2.3 (graphite), 3.15–3.53 (diamond); sublimes at 3367±25°C; boiling pt: 4827°C
2. (as modifier) a carbon compound

a carbon electrode used in a carbon-arc light or in carbon-arc welding

a rod or plate, made of carbon, used in some types of battery

Derived forms of carbon

carbonous, adjective

Word Origin for carbon

C18: from French carbone, from Latin carbō charcoal, dead or glowing coal

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for carbon

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n. Symbol C

A nonmetallic element occurring in many inorganic and in all organic compounds, existing as graphite and diamond and as a constituent of coal, limestone, and petroleum, and capable of chemical self-bonding to form a number of important molecules. Atomic number 6.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for carbon

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C

A naturally abundant, nonmetallic element that occurs in all organic compounds and can be found in all known forms of life. Diamonds and graphite are pure forms, and carbon is a major constituent of coal, petroleum, and natural gas. Carbon generally forms four covalent bonds with other atoms in larger molecules. Atomic number 6; atomic weight 12.011; sublimation point above 3,500°C; boiling point 4,827°C; specific gravity of amorphous carbon 1.8 to 2.1, of diamond 3.15 to 3.53, of graphite 1.9 to 2.3; valence 2, 3, 4. See Periodic Table.

Other words from carbon

carbonaceous adjective

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for carbon

notes for carbon

Carbon forms the basis for all living tissue.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

What Is the Origin of the Word Carbon

Source: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/carbon

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