carbon dating

This term refers to a specific radiometric dating technique. It is used exclusively for organic materials—such as bone, wood, or plant fibers—because it relies on the decay of carbon-14 isotopes absorbed during the organism's lifetime. It cannot be used to date inorganic materials like stones or metals.

In academic and scientific registers, it is often grouped under the broader umbrella of absolute dating. While commonly used in archaeology and paleontology, the term is frequently used in general conversation to describe any attempt to determine the age of an ancient object, though this is technically imprecise.