carbon

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A chemical element (symbol C) found in all living things, and in forms such as graphite and diamond.

   All known life uses carbon as the basic building block of its molecules.

2. 2
   noun

   Carbon dioxide, especially when talking about pollution and the environment.

   The company is trying to reduce its carbon emissions.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Carbon, recorded in English from the late 18th century, ultimately comes from Latin carbo, “coal” or “charcoal.” The same Latin root underlies carbuncle, whose name evokes a small glowing coal.

Borrowed from French carbone, coined by Antoine Lavoisier, from Latin carbō, carbōnem (“charcoal, coal”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *kerh₃- (“to burn”). By surface analysis, carbo- + -on.

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External links

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• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary