plumbago

[ pluhm-bey-goh ]

/ plʌmˈbeɪ goʊ /

noun, plural plum·ba·gos.

graphite.

a drawing made by an instrument with a lead point.

Nearby words

Origin of plumbago

1595–1605; < Latin plumbāgō, translation of Greek molýbdaina lead ore, derivative of mólybdos lead

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for plumbago

The adhesion of the plumbago may be often promoted by breathing slightly on the mould.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley
As the preceding, but employing mixtures of plumbago and crocus in various proportions according to the shade desired.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley
No spars are found accompanying the ore; iron pyrite is occasionally met with, and plumbago is found in the vicinity.
Scenes and Adventures in the Semi-Alpine Region of the Ozark Mountains of Missouri and Arkansas|Henry Rowe Schoolcraft
The rollers are coated with plumbago or other material to prevent adhesion to the molten metal.
Scientific American Supplement No. 819|Various

Keswick is noted for its manufacture of lead pencils; and the plumbago (locally wad) used to be supplied from mines in Borrowdale.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 7|Various

British Dictionary definitions for plumbago

plumbago

/ (plʌmˈbeɪɡəʊ) /

noun plural -gos

any plumbaginaceous plant of the genus Plumbago, of warm regions, having clusters of blue, white, or red flowersSee also leadwort

another name for graphite

Word Origin for plumbago

C17: from Latin: lead ore, leadwort, translation of Greek polubdaina lead ore, from polubdos lead

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

Word Origin and History for plumbago

plumbago

"graphite," 1784, from Latin plumbago "a type of lead ore, black lead," from plumbum "lead" (see plumb (n.)); it renders Greek molybdaina, which was used of yellow lead oxide and also of a type of plant (leadwort). Attested in English in the yellow oxide sense from 1610s; as a type of plant from 1747. Related: Plumbaginous.