OXFORD 9000
📚 noun • entry_id 6964

graphite

/ˈɡɹæfaɪt/
Meanings (ES + gloss)
grafito • plombagina • plumbagina
An allotrope of carbon, consisting of planes of carbon atoms arranged in hexagonal arrays with the planes stacked loosely, that is used as a dry lubricant, in "lead" pencils, and as a moderator in some nuclear reactors.
Technical terms like ferrite, perlite, graphite, and hardenite were bandied to and fro, and when Paget glibly brought out such a rare exotic as ferro-molybdenum, Benson forgot that…
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