Carbon Meaning
/ˈkɑɹ.bən/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe 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.
nounAn atom of this element, in reference to a molecule containing it.
Sentence Examples
Trees give off oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide.
Coal consists mostly of carbon.
Wind power doesn't release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Diamonds are made of pure ____ atoms arranged in a crystal structure.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Diamond is a form of pure ____ that is found deep inside the earth.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Carbon is the most common element in our bodies—indeed, in all living things on earth."
— 2006, Michael Pollan, The Omnivore's Dilemma, The Penguin Press, →ISBN, page 20:
"Fans will pump air through the alkaline stream, which causes carbon dioxide to form solid calcium carbonate, the material from which seashells are formed, which will look like a fine sand, as well as dissolved bicarbonate."
— 2024 April 21, Laura Paddison, “Can this ocean-based carbon plant help save the world? Some scientists are raising red flags”, in CNN:
"He stepped back and opened his bag and took out a printed pad of D.O.A. forms and began to write over a carbon."
— 1939, Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep, Penguin, published 2011, page 51:
"If Alberta’s reserves are a carbon bomb, this global expansion of tar sands and oil shale exploitation amounts to an escalating emissions arms race, the unlocking of a subterranean cache of weapons of mass ecological destruction."
— 2014 April 25, Martin Lukacs, “Canada becoming launch-pad of a global tar sands and oil shale frenzy”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 190, number 20, page 13:
"To trim an arc lamp, first remove the old carbons and carefully and thoroughly wipe the carbon rods, holders, &c. with a clean, dry rag."
— 1892, English Mechanic and World of Science, page 444:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Diamonds are made of pure ____ atoms arranged in a crystal structure.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Diamond is a form of pure ____ that is found deep inside the earth.