boron carbide

noun

: a refractory shiny black crystalline compound B4C that is one of the hardest known materials and is used especially in abrasives and as a structural reinforcing material

Examples of boron carbide in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The image shows the nanowire arrays in the cotton fabric, and a cross-section diagram of the carbon microfiber coated with boron carbide nanowires. Smriti Rao, Discover Magazine, 6 Apr. 2010 The counter is to make armor harder, by adding ultra-hard ceramic plates made out of materials like boron carbide. David Hambling, Popular Mechanics, 19 Sep. 2022 The addition of silicon to boron carbide armor reduces the phase transformation by some 30 percent. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 29 Jan. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of boron carbide was in 1891

Dictionary Entries Near boron carbide

Cite this Entry

“Boron carbide.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boron%20carbide. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on boron carbide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!