black lead

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See also: blacklead

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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In the sense of lead, calque of Latin plumbum nigrum (lead, literally black lead).

Noun

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black lead (countable and uncountable, plural black leads)

  1. (now historical) The metal lead. [from 14th c.]
    Antonym: white lead
  2. Graphite, especially as used in pencils. [from 16th c.]
  3. (countable) A graphite pencil.
  4. (now historical) A type of polish made from graphite, used for kitchen cleaning and blackening grates. [from 19th c.]
    • 1828, JT Smith, Nollekens and His Times, Century Hutchinson, published 1986, page 271:
      She always washed without soap: there were no hearth-stones nor black-lead dust for the stoves; nor a cake of whitening for the kitchen-grate [] .

Translations

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