carbon English · revision 4639

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1789|origins=la carbo}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /ˈkɑː.bən/, US /ˈkɑːr.bən/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|fr|carbone]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024)^(NODE 1998) coined by Lavoisier in 1787,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) from [[la|carbō|t=a coal, glowing coal; charcoal]] (genitive carbōnis),^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) from [[ine-pro|*ker-|t=heat, fire]].^(Etymonline) It is related to [[hearth]] and [[carbuncle]].^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024)^(Cresswell 2021)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The chemical element: 1789, as carbone;^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)^(MWU 2024) the spelling carbon appeared in 1808.^(Barnhart 1988) In Middle English (1415) carbon “charcoal” was borrowed from Anglo-French, but this use did not survive.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Carbon paper, for making copies, is from 1855, earlier carbonic paper (1850),^(Etymonline) and carbon short for it from 1895;^(OED 1989) a ''carbon copy'' is shortened to carbon from 1937.^(OED 1989) A charcoal pencil used in arc lamps is from about 1860.^(OED 1989) ''Carbon 14'', the radioactive isotope, is from 1936,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) and ''carbon dating'' from 1958.^(Etymonline) The ''carbon cycle'' is attested from 1912,^(Etymonline) and ''carbon footprint'' was in use by 2001.^(Etymonline) ''Carbonate'', ''carbonic'' and ''carbonaceous'' are 18th-century derivatives.^(Hoad 1986)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1415 – charcoal (did not survive).^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1789 – the element.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1808 – the spelling carbon.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1855 – carbon paper.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1912 – carbon cycle.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1936 – carbon 14.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1958 – carbon dating.^(Etymonline)

+ * 2001 – carbon footprint.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A non-metallic [[chemical element]] found in all organic compounds, occurring pure as [[diamond]] and graphite and in coal and petroleum; symbol C, atomic number 6.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A sheet of [[carbon paper]], or a carbon copy.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A carbon rod used in an electric arc lamp or battery.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Carbon dioxide or other carbon compounds released into the air, as in ''carbon emissions''.^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[carbonous]]

+ * [[carbonless]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[carbonaceous]]

+ * [[carbonado]]

+ * [[Carbonari]]

+ * [[carbonate]]

+ * [[carboniferous]]

+ * [[carbuncle]]

+ * [[carbonara]]

+ * [[hearth]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}