car´bon|less

car|bon «KAHR buhn», noun.

1. a very common chemical element which occurs in combination with other elements in all plants and animals. Diamonds and graphite are pure carbon in the form of crystals; coal and charcoal are mostly carbon in uncrystallized form. Carbon is nonmetallic, forms organic compounds in combination with hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and the like, and is manufactured especially as coke or lampblack. Its outstanding characteristic is the ability of its atoms to link with one another in rings or chains, thus giving rise to innumerable complex compounds.

2. a piece of carbon such as is used in batteries or arc lamps.

3. a piece of carbon paper: »

The typist put a carbon between the sheets of paper to make two copies of the letter.

4. a copy made with carbon paper; carbon copy: »

The secretary kept a carbon of each letter she typed.

╂[< French carbone, learned borrowing from Latin carbō, -ōnis charcoal]

–car´bon|less, adjective.