Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CAR'BON, n. [L. carbo, a coal; Sp. carbon; It. carbone; Fr. charbon. Qu. Gr. καρφω, to dry, or the root of char, Russ. charyu, to burn.]

Pure charcoal; a simple body, black, brittle, light and inodorous. It is usually the remains of some vegetable body, from which all its volatile matter has been expelled by heat. When crystalized, it forms the diamond; and by means of a galvanic apparatus, it is found to be capable of fusion. Carbon constitutes the principal element of vegetables. – Prout.