Added 9 October 2026
carbon
/ˈkɑɹ.bən/ noun
In Latin: carbonium Coined: a coined word, by Antoine Lavoisier Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about carbon at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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The chemical element (symbol C) with an atomic number of 6. It can be found in pure form for example as graphite, a black, shiny and very soft material, or diamond, a colourless, transparent, crystalline solid and the hardest known material.
All life as we know it has carbon as the backbone of many of its molecules; carbon’s tetravalence gives it special importance in biochemical molecular bonds.
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An atom of this element, in reference to a molecule containing it.
A methane molecule is made up of a single carbon with four hydrogens.
- A sheet of carbon paper.
verb
Origin
Borrowed from French carbone, coined by Antoine Lavoisier, from Latin carbō, carbōnem (“charcoal, coal”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *kerh₃- (“to burn”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)