pumice

American  

[puhm-is] / ˈpʌm ɪs /

noun

1. Also called pumice stone.  a porous or spongy form of volcanic glass, used as an abrasive.

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verb (used with object)

pumiced, pumicing

1. to rub, smooth, clean, etc., with pumice.

pumice British  

/ ˈpʌmɪs, pjuːˈmɪʃəs /

noun

1. Also called: pumice stone.  a light porous acid volcanic rock having the composition of rhyolite, used for scouring and, in powdered form, as an abrasive and for polishing

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verb

1. (tr) to rub or polish with pumice

pumice Scientific  

/ pŭm′ĭs /

1. A usually light-colored, porous, lightweight rock of volcanic origin. The pores form when water vapor and gases escape from the lava during its quick solidification into rock.

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Other Word Forms

• pumiceous
  adjective
• pumicer
  noun

Etymology

Origin of pumice

First recorded before 1000; from Latin pūmic-, stem of pūmex “pumice stone”; replacing Middle English pomis(e), pomish(e), pomice, from Middle French pomis, from Latin; compare Old English pumic- (from Latin ), in pumicstān “pumice stone”; see pounce ³

Compare meaning

How does pumice compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• scoria vs. pumice

Explanation

Pumice is a very light stone that comes from volcanic rock. Formed from lava, pumice is porous, or full of tiny holes. It may sound exotic, but you can buy one at the drug store and scrub your feet with it. The pumice found by a geologist or displayed in a museum exhibit about volcanoes is the same material as the pumice stones that you'd use to smooth the callouses off your feet. Pumice is also useful for "aging" denim (or making stone-washed jeans), and it's included in objects like pencil erasers and cinder blocks. The word comes from the Latin pumex, which shares a root with "foam."

Example Sentences

The project had stalled around 2021 when a lawsuit argued that the road through the lake’s Pumice Plain could damage research in the monument.

From Seattle Times • May 21, 2024

Pumice is an extremely light rock made when super-hot, liquid rock is thrown out of a volcano.

From NewsForKids.net • Jan. 18, 2024

The best option, Veach announced, is to build a 5.5-kilometer-long temporary road from an existing road across the blast zone, known as the Pumice Plain, to Spirit Lake.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 21, 2021

The proposal would impact about 4% of the 3,840-acre Pumice Plain research area.

From Washington Times • Mar. 29, 2021

These flows did not reach as far away from the mountain as the earlier lateral blast, which had already killed almost everything living in the area of Pumice Plain.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone