carbon
pronunciation
How to pronounce carbon in British English:
UK [ˈkɑːbən]
How to pronounce carbon in American English:
US [ˈkɑːrbən]
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- Noun:
- an abundant nonmetallic tetravalent element occurring in three allotropic forms: amorphous carbon and graphite and diamond; occurs in all organic compounds
- a thin paper coated on one side with a dark waxy substance (often containing carbon); used to transfer characters from the original to an under sheet of paper
- a copy made with carbon paper
Word Origin
- carbon
- carbon: [18] The notion underlying carbon is probably that of ‘burning’; it has been tentatively traced back to a base *kar- ‘fire’. The word’s immediate source was French carbone, coined in the 1780s on the basis of Latin carbō ‘coal, charcoal’ (supplementing an earlier borrowing charbon ‘coal, charcoal’). It is not certain whether char and charcoal are related to it.
- carbon (n.)
- non-metallic element, 1789, coined 1787 in French by Lavoisier as charbone, from Latin carbonem (nominative carbo) "a coal, glowing coal; charcoal," from PIE root *ker- (4) "heat, fire, to burn" (cognates: Latin cremare "to burn;" Sanskrit kudayati "singes;" Lithuanian kuriu "to heat," karštas "hot," krosnis "oven;" Old Church Slavonic kurjo "to smoke," krada "fireplace, hearth;" Russian ceren "brazier;" Old High German harsta "roasting;" Gothic hauri "coal;" Old Norse hyrr "fire;" Old English heorð "hearth"). Carbon 14, long-lived radioactive isotope used in dating organic deposits, is from 1936. Carbon dating (using carbon 14) is recorded from 1958. Carbon cycle is attested from 1912. Carbon footprint was in use by 2001. Carbon paper (soon to be obsolete) is from 1895.
Example
- 1. India is the world 's fourth largest carbon emitter .
- 2. Reinforced carbon fiber will lock out debris and dust .
- 3. Let it include a carbon tax .
- 4. What about individual carbon offsetting projects ?
- 5. And tax carbon emissions and financial transactions .