n.
Pronunciation: ' kär-b ə n
Function: noun
Usage: often attrib
Etymology: French carbone, from Latin carbon-, carbo ember, charcoal
Date: 1789
1 : a nonmetallic chiefly tetravalent element found native (as in diamond and graphite) or as a constituent of coal, petroleum, and asphalt, of limestone and other carbonates, and of organic compounds or obtained artificially in varying degrees of purity especially as carbon black, lampblack, activated carbon, charcoal, and coke ― see ELEMENT table
2 : a carbon rod used in an arc lamp
3 a : a sheet of carbon paper b : CARBON COPY