noun · verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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US:/ˈɡɹæfaɪt/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
UK:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:G R AE1 F AY2 T
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
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.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Graphite-reinforced plastic, a composite plastic made with graphite fibers noted for lightweight strength and stiffness.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
Modern tennis racquets are made of graphite, fibreglass and other man-made materials.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A grey colour, resembling graphite or the marks made with a graphite pencil.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
verb
Meaning 4
To apply graphite to.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
used as a lubricant and as a moderator in nuclear reactors
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: black lead, plumbago
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: carbon, C, atomic number 6
Narrower terms: lead, pencil lead, pencil
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gerbh- Proto-Hellenic *grə́phō Ancient Greek γράφω (gráphō) Proto-Indo-European *-tósder. Ancient Greek -της (-tēs)der. Ancient Greek -ῑ́της (-ī́tēs)der. Latin -ītēsbor. French -itebor. German -it German Graphitbor. English graphite Borrowed from German Graphit (A. G. Werner 1789), from Ancient Greek γράφω (gráphō, “to write”).
Across languages
Translations
72 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
غَرَافِيت
(ḡarāfīt)
— form of carbon
Belarusian:
графі́т
(hrafít)
— form of carbon
Bengali:
কৃষ্ণসীস
(kriśnośiś)
— form of carbon
Bulgarian:
графит
(grafit)
— form of carbon
Catalan:
grafit
— form of carbon
Chinese Mandarin:
石墨
(shímò)
— form of carbon
Czech:
grafit
— form of carbon
Czech:
tuha
— form of carbon
Danish:
grafit
— form of carbon
Dutch:
grafiet
— form of carbon
Esperanto:
grafito
— form of carbon
Estonian:
grafiit
— form of carbon
Estonian:
metaantratsiidiks
— form of carbon
Finnish:
grafiitti
— form of carbon
French:
graphite
— form of carbon
Galician:
grafito
— form of carbon
German:
Graphit
— form of carbon
Greek:
γραφίτης
(grafítis)
— form of carbon
Greenlandic:
torsummiutaq
— form of carbon
Greenlandic:
aqerluusassaq
— form of carbon
Hindi:
लिखिज
(likhij)
— form of carbon
Hindi:
ग्रेफाइट
(grephāiṭ)
— form of carbon
Hungarian:
grafit
— form of carbon
Icelandic:
grafít
— form of carbon
Icelandic:
ritblý
— form of carbon
Ido:
grafito
— form of carbon
Irish:
graifít
— form of carbon
Italian:
grafite
— form of carbon
Japanese:
石墨
(sekiboku)
— form of carbon
Japanese:
黒鉛
(kokuen)
— form of carbon
Korean:
석묵
(seongmuk)
— form of carbon
Korean:
흑연
(heugyeon)
— form of carbon
Lao:
ຫິນດໍາ
(hin dam)
— form of carbon
Latin:
plumbāgō
— form of carbon
Māori:
matāpango
— form of carbon
Marathi:
ग्रॅफाइट
(grĕphāiṭ)
— form of carbon
Mongolian:
бал чулуу
(bal čuluu)
— form of carbon
Norwegian Bokmål:
grafitt
— form of carbon
Norwegian Nynorsk:
grafitt
— form of carbon
Persian:
گرافیت
(gerâfit)
— form of carbon
Plautdietsch:
Blie
— form of carbon
Polish:
grafit
— form of carbon
Portuguese:
grafite
— form of carbon
Portuguese:
grafita
— form of carbon
Punjabi:
ਗਰੇਫ਼ਾਈਟ
(garefāīṭa)
— form of carbon
Romanian:
grafit
— form of carbon
Russian:
графи́т
(grafít)
— form of carbon
Serbo-Croatian:
grafit
— form of carbon
Slovak:
tuha
— form of carbon
Slovene:
grafit
— form of carbon
Spanish:
grafito
— form of carbon
Spanish:
plombagina
— form of carbon
Spanish:
plumbagina
— form of carbon
Swedish:
grafit
— form of carbon
Swedish:
blyerts
— form of carbon
Tagalog:
hitam
— form of carbon
Tagalog:
grapito
— form of carbon
Tamil:
கடுங்கரி
(kaṭuṅkari)
— form of carbon
Thai:
ถ่านดําใช้ทําดินสอ
— form of carbon
Turkish:
grafit
— form of carbon
Ottoman Turkish:
غرافیت
(gırafit)
— form of carbon
