[led] 
| graphite; plumbago. |
| black lead (lěd) n. See graphite. |
| graph·ite (grāf'īt') n. A soft, steel-gray to black, hexagonally crystallized allotrope of carbon with a metallic luster and a greasy feel, used in lead pencils, lubricants, paints, and coatings, that is fabricated into a variety of forms such as molds, bricks, electrodes, crucibles, and rocket nozzles. Also called black lead, plumbago. [Greek graphein, to write; see gerbh- in Indo-European roots + -ite1.] gra·phit'ic (grā-fĭt'ĭk) adj. |