Adjacent Words

Graphite definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

GRAPH'ITE, n. [Gr. to write.] Carburet of iron, a substance used for pencils, and very improperly called black-lead.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: used as a lubricant and as a moderator in nuclear reactors [syn: graphite, black lead, plumbago]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: German Graphit, from Greek graphein to write Date: 1796 1. a soft black lustrous form of carbon that conducts electricity and is used in lead pencils and electrolytic anodes, as a lubricant, and as a moderator in nuclear reactors 2. a composite material in which carbon fibers are the reinforcing material • graphitic adjective

Britannica Concise

Mineral allotrope of carbon. It is dark gray to black, opaque, and very soft. Its layered structure, with rings of six atoms arranged in widely spaced horizontal sheets, gives it its slippery quality. It occurs in nature and is used (mixed with clay) as the "lead" in pencils as well as in lubricants, crucibles, polishes, arc lamps, batteries, brushes for electric motors, and nuclear-reactor cores.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. a crystalline allotropic form of carbon used as a solid lubricant, in pencils, and as a moderator in nuclear reactors etc. Also called PLUMBAGO, black lead. Derivatives: graphitic adj. graphitize v.tr. & intr. (also -ise). Etymology: G Graphit f. Gk grapho write

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Graphite Graph"ite, n. [Gr. gra`fein to write: cf. F. graphite. See Graphic.] (Min.) Native carbon in hexagonal crystals, also foliated or granular massive, of black color and metallic luster, and so soft as to leave a trace on paper. It is used for pencils (improperly called lead pencils), for crucibles, and as a lubricator, etc. Often called plumbago or black lead. Graphite battery (Elec.), a voltaic battery consisting of zinc and carbon in sulphuric acid, or other exciting liquid.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Graphite is a soft black substance that is a form of carbon. It is used in pencils and electrical equipment.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Plumbago, black-lead.