Meaning & use
graphite
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Meanings
noununcountable
A soft, black form of carbon that is used in pencil leads, as a lubricant, and in batteries.
Grammar: Uncountable when talking about the material: 'a piece of graphite', not 'a graphite'. It can be countable in technical contexts meaning a type of graphite.
Patterns
- a pencil made of graphite
- graphite in batteries
- a layer of graphite
The pencil is often called a 'lead' pencil, but the dark mark comes from graphite.
Graphite is used as a dry lubricant in locks and hinges.
Scientists study graphite because its sheets can be separated into graphene.
noununcountabletechnical
A gray-to-black metallic-looking mineral consisting of carbon, often found in metamorphic rocks.
Grammar: Still uncountable as a mineral name; you might say 'a deposit of graphite'.
Patterns
- a deposit of graphite
- graphite mining
- natural graphite
The region is rich in graphite, which has been mined there for centuries.
Geologists map graphite deposits to find areas worth mining.
Graphite forms under high heat and pressure from carbon-rich sediments.
Common combinations
- graphite pencil
- Artists prefer graphite pencils for fine shading.
- graphite powder
- He sprinkled graphite powder into the lock to make the key turn smoothly.
- graphite electrode
- Graphite electrodes are used in electric arc furnaces.
- graphite shaft
- Many modern golf clubs have a lightweight graphite shaft.
- graphite deposit
- The country has large graphite deposits in its northern mountains.
Synonyms and how they differ
- black lead
- An old-fashioned name for graphite, still sometimes used for the material in pencils.
- plumbago
- A rare, historical term for graphite; not used in everyday English.
Word family
- graphitic adjective
- Relating to or containing graphite, as in 'graphitic carbon'.
- graphene noun
- A single layer of graphite, one atom thick.
Commonly confused: graphite or graphic? graphite or granite?
graphite vs graphic
Means 'related to drawing or visual art' or 'very clear and detailed'; it has nothing to do with the mineral graphite.
graphite vs granite
A hard igneous rock used in buildings; graphite is a soft mineral used in pencils.
Practice
What is the black material in a pencil lead?
Choose one answer.
Pencil 'lead' is actually graphite, a soft form of carbon. Real lead is a toxic metal and is not used in pencils; 'granite' is a rock and 'graphic' is an adjective, so neither fits.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “graphite”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.