Blacklead

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A dense and dark material employed in writing tools, often composed of graphite
2. A historical substance used in drawing that provides rich, dark lines
3. A dark, carbon-based substance commonly found at the center of pencils and used for sketching

Etymology: Graphite, the mineral used in pencil cores, was once mistaken for lead, which is why it became "blacklead." The name is a plain compound of "black" and "lead," the two words combined to describe a dark, soft substance that left marks like the metal did. The "lead" half is the more misleading one, since the material contains no lead at all; it is pure carbon. The confusion explains the name's persistence. Early users saw a dark, greasy-looking stone that marked paper as cleanly as a lead stylus, and they grouped it with the metal rather than with coal or charcoal. The term "blacklead" has long been used as a synonym for graphite, and it remains the older, more descriptive name for the same substance.