noun

1. a nonmetallic chemical element found in many inorganic compounds and all organic compounds: diamond and graphite are pure carbon; carbon is the basic element in coal, coke, charcoal, soot, etc.: symbol, C; at. no., 6: a radioactive isotope (carbon-14) is used as a tracer in chemical and biochemical research, and, because of its half-life of 5,730 years and its presence in all carbon-containing matter, it is a means of dating archaeological specimens, fossils, etc.
2. a sheet of carbon paper
3. carbon copy
4. a stick of carbon used in an arc lamp
5. a carbon plate or rod used in a battery

Etymology: Fr carbone < L carbo (gen. carbonis), coal < IE base *ker-, to burn > hearth

adjective