carbon
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.
a sheet of carbon paper.
Electricity.
the carbon rod through which current is conducted between the electrode holder and the arc in carbon arc lighting or welding.
the rod or plate, composed in part of carbon, used in batteries.
pertaining to or noting the element carbon or any of its compounds, especially carbon dioxide: to reduce carbon emissions.
Origin of carbon
1Other words from carbon
- car·bon·less, adjective
- non·car·bon, noun
Words Nearby carbon
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use carbon in a sentence
This month, Elon Musk donated $100 million toward a prize for carbon-capture ideas.
Can Billionaires Really Save Us from Climate Disaster? | Heather Hansman | February 12, 2021 | Outside OnlineThe RS model has a five-layer, carbon-reinforced plastic top, which Audi says is a first for the segment.
Audi’s e-Tron GT charges up fast, but turns even faster | Stan Horaczek | February 10, 2021 | Popular-ScienceThe 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.
Tech-savvy fashion forecasters already know what you’ll be wearing in two years | Rachael Zisk | February 10, 2021 | Popular-ScienceAlthough 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.
Four huge new energy deals show the future of decarbonization | Tim McDonnell | February 9, 2021 | QuartzChina, the world’s largest emitter, has promised to reach zero net carbon emissions by 2060.
Countries must ramp up climate pledges by 80 percent to hit key Paris target, study finds | Brady Dennis | February 9, 2021 | Washington Post
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.
Up To A Point: What We Really Need Is a Nobel War Prize | P. J. O’Rourke | October 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTOther 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.
Up To a Point: Robber Barons Make Way For Robber Nerds | P. J. O’Rourke | August 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhat are a few paltry, lumps of crystallised carbon compared to a galaxy of a million million suns?
God and my Neighbour | Robert BlatchfordThe carbon dioxid evolved distends the stomach, and its outline can easily be determined by percussion.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Toddcarbon is the largest constituent of plants, and forms, in round numbers, about 50 per cent of their weight when dry.
Elements of Agricultural Chemistry | Thomas AndersonThe particular phenomena of vegetation also afford abundant evidence that humus cannot be the only source of carbon.
Elements of Agricultural Chemistry | Thomas AndersonThe composition of animal caseine differs from this principally in the amount of carbon.
Elements of Agricultural Chemistry | Thomas Anderson
British Dictionary definitions for carbon
/ (ˈkɑːbən) /
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
(as modifier): a carbon compound
short for carbon paper, carbon copy
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
Origin of carbon
1Derived forms of carbon
- carbonous, adjective
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
Scientific definitions for carbon
[ kär′bən ]
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
A chemical element; its symbol is C. The carbon nucleus has six protons and six or more neutrons; six electrons are in orbit around the carbon nucleus. (See hydrocarbons and organic molecules (see also organic molecule).)
Notes for carbon
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.
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