a blackish soft allotropic form of carbon in hexagonal crystalline form: used in pencils, crucibles, and electrodes, as a lubricant, as a moderator in nuclear reactors, and, in a carbon fibre form, as a tough lightweight material for sporting equipment
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
graph•ite /ˈgræfaɪt/USA pronunciation
n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Mineralogya soft form of carbon occurring in black to dark gray masses, used for pencil leads and as a lubricant.
graph•ite
(graf′īt),USA pronunciation n.
gra•phit•ic
(grə fit′ik),USA pronunciation adj.
- Mineralogya very common mineral, soft native carbon, occurring in black to dark-gray foliated masses, with metallic luster and greasy feel: used for pencil leads, as a lubricant, and for making crucibles and other refractories; plumbago;
black lead.
- Greek gráph(ein) to write, draw + German -it -ite1
- German Graphit
- 1790–1800
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