pencil lead
Pencil's dark center
Pencil lead is the dark core of a pencil that leaves marks on paper.
Despite the name, modern pencil lead contains no lead—it's graphite mixed with clay.
The term persists from early pencils, which used actual lead.
I need to sharpen this pencil; the lead keeps breaking.
Sixth element, atomic symbol C
- mineralNaturally formed crystalline solid
- coreCentral essential portion
- rodThin rigid stick
- clayMoldable earth for ceramics
wax · composite · pigment · binder · kaolin · deposit · mark · trace
Hasty informal drawing
- shadingDepicting light and darkness
- hatchingEmergence from an egg
- crosshatchIntersecting line pattern
- lineworkDrawn strokes in art
rendering · blending · smudging · tonal · value · gradient · contrast · stroke
Pencil hardness rating
Manual letter formation
- notesBrief written records
- scriptWritten words for performance
- cursiveJoined handwriting style
- manuscriptOriginal text before publication
draft · journal · signature · marginalia · annotation · legibility · pressure · grip
carbon
Sixth element, atomic symbol C
clay · wax · composite · pigment · binder · kaolin · deposit · mark · trace · smudge
sketch
Hasty informal drawing
- shadingDepicting light and darkness
- hatchingEmergence from an egg
- crosshatchIntersecting line pattern
linework · rendering · blending · smudging · tonal · value · gradient · contrast · stroke · mark-making
HB
Pencil hardness rating
H · 4H · F · soft · medium · hard · light · dark · blackness · tone
handwriting
Manual letter formation
manuscript · draft · journal · signature · marginalia · annotation · legibility · pressure · grip · letter
mechanical
Operated by machinery
- propellingCausing forward motion
- replacementWhat takes another's place
- cartridgeSealed container for supplies
insert · tube · diameter · 0.5mm · 2mm · spare · reload · advance · click · feed
- Carboncarbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, graphite, diamond, diamonds
- foreign bodiessplinter, glass shard, fish bone, bullet, shrapnel
- pencils
- carbon formsgraphite, diamond, diamonds, fullerene, graphene
- refillsink refill, ink refills, prescription refill, pen refills, prescription refills
pencil leadpermanent ink
Marking fluid that lasts
indelible ink · permanent marker · tattoo ink · India ink · engraving
lead, pencil, leaden, penciled, penciling, leadless, penciller