graphite
Other forms: graphites
Use the noun graphite when you're talking about the mineral that's used to make pencil lead.
Graphite is a form of carbon that is most commonly found in pencils, although because it is a good conductor of electricity, it's also used in electrodes and batteries. Graphite can in fact be found in a wide variety of things, from a car's brake pads to industrial lubricants. The word graphite comes from the German Graphit, which was named by a mineralogist in 1789 from the Greek word graphein, "write."
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a soft black lustrous form of carbon that conducts electricity and is used as a lubricant and as a moderator in nuclear reactorssynonyms: black lead, plumbagotypes:lead, pencil leadmixture of graphite with clay in different degrees of hardness; the marking substance in a pencilpencilgraphite (or a similar substance) used in such a way as to be a medium of communicationtype of:C, atomic number 6, carbonan abundant nonmetallic tetravalent element occurring in three allotropic forms: amorphous carbon and graphite and diamond; occurs in all organic compounds
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Vocabulary lists containing graphite
The unremarkable pencil — an everyday writing implement used since the 1800s — seems common and ordinary. But the story of this simple tool is far from plain! This list covers vocabulary from the introduction. Here are links to our lists for the book: List 1, List 2, List 3