ebonite

See also: ébonite

English

Etymology

Genericized trademark; the trademark was

    From ebony + -ite.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /ˈɛb.əˌnaɪt/
    • Audio (Southern England):(file)

    Noun

    ebonite (countable and uncountable, plural ebonites)

    2. The relatively hard product of vulcanizing natural rubber with sulfur.
      Synonyms: vulcanite, hard rubber
      Hypernym: rubber
      Coordinate terms: india rubber, gutta-percha (both unvulcanized)
      • 1875, “Electricity, Light, Heat, Sound”, in Alfred E. Beach, editor, The Science Record for 1875: A Compendium of Scientific Progress and Discovery During the Past Year (Science Record)‎[1], volume 4, Munn and Company, page 239:
        BRITISH CONSTRUCTION OF TELEGRAPHIC APPARATUS.
            R. S. Culley states that small insulators, formed of good porcelain, are the best, although, on several accounts, ebonite is recommended. Dirt and moisture are the principal things to be guarded against, but not all; for many mischievous boys, who would not take the trouble to break an unpretending black cap, can not resist the temptation of throwing at a large white one. Insects, especially spiders, are a source of peculiar annoyance. In the high roads of Ireland they are very troublesome, and in India, however large an insulator may be, an insect of the proper size is always ready to inhabit it. With respect to the construction of a line of telegraph the author states that it is preferable to use suspended rather than buried wires, because of the liability of gutta-percha and india-rubber to deteriorate underground, the expense of repairing faults, and the retardation of signals in consequence of the greater inductive capacity of wires so laid. On the other hand, gutta-percha is indestructible in sea-water, which is not, however, the case with india-rubber.

    Translations

    Further reading

    Portuguese

    Pronunciation

    • (Brazil) IPA(key): /e.boˈni.t͡ʃi/
     
    • (Portugal) IPA(key): /i.buˈni.tɨ/ [i.βuˈni.tɨ]
      • (Southern Portugal) IPA(key): /i.buˈni.tɨ/

    • Hyphenation: e‧bo‧ni‧te

    Noun

    ebonite f (plural ebonites)

    1. ebonite (product of vulcanising rubber with sulphur)

    Further reading

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