When graphite was discovered in the 16th century, people thought it looked like a variety of lead. Graphite was called “plombago” until an 18th century Swedish researcher established it contained no lead. The German mineralogist Abraham Gottlob Werner invented the term “graphite” in 1789, inspired by “graphein”, the greek word for writing. - See more at: http://minesqc.com/en/blog/article/2015/05/18/what-is-graphite-used-for/#sthash.wQ3rRW6i.dpuf