plumbago

plum·ba·go

P0381600 (plŭm-bā′gō)n. pl. plum·ba·gos 1. See graphite.2. See leadwort.

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[Latin plumbāgō, lead ore, a kind of plant, from plumbum, lead (the plant perhaps being so called because of the color of its flowers, or of another of its parts, or from the fact that it was used to cure a livid discoloration of the eyelid).]

plumbago

(plʌmˈbeɪɡəʊ) n, pl -gos1. (Plants) any plumbaginaceous plant of the genus Plumbago, of warm regions, having clusters of blue, white, or red flowers. See also leadwort2. (Elements & Compounds) another name for graphite[C17: from Latin: lead ore, leadwort, translation of Greek polubdaina lead ore, from polubdos lead]

graph•ite

(ˈgræf aɪt)

n. a soft native carbon occurring in black to dark gray foliated masses: used for pencil leads, as a lubricant, as a moderator in nuclear reactors, and for making crucibles and other refractories; plumbago. [1790–1800; < German Graphit < Greek gráph(ein) to write, draw + German -it -ite¹] gra•phit•ic (grəˈfɪt ɪk) adj.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	plumbago - used as a lubricant and as a moderator in nuclear reactorsblack lead, graphitepencil lead, lead - mixture of graphite with clay in different degrees of hardness; the marking substance in a pencilatomic number 6, carbon, C - an abundant nonmetallic tetravalent element occurring in three allotropic forms: amorphous carbon and graphite and diamond; occurs in all organic compoundspencil - graphite (or a similar substance) used in such a way as to be a medium of communication; "the words were scribbled in pencil"; "this artist's favorite medium is pencil"
	2.	plumbago - any plumbaginaceous plant of the genus Plumbagogenus Plumbago - shrubs and herbs and woody vines of warm regions: leadwortherb, herbaceous plant - a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests

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