black lead

American

[led] / lɛd /

noun

Mineralogy.

graphite; plumbago.

black lead British

/ lɛd /

noun

another name for graphite

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of black lead

First recorded in 1575–85

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

ABC has cast its first black lead to front “The Bachelorette.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 2, 2024

Even The Bachelor has named its first black lead.

From The Guardian • Sep. 26, 2020

Former "Bachelorette" Rachel Lindsay, the only black lead the show has had, also spoke out.

From Fox News • May 18, 2020

Underneath their roots was a strange, shiny black substance that was initially dubbed "black lead".

From BBC • Jun. 25, 2019

CRUCIBLES.—The best crucibles are made of a pure fire clay, mixed with finely ground cement of oil crucibles, and a portion of black lead or graphite; some pounded coke may be mixed with the plumbago.

From One Thousand Secrets of Wise and Rich Men Revealed by Bogardus, C. A.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023