amianthus

[ am-ee-an-thuhs ]

/ ˌæm iˈæn θəs /

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noun Mineralogy.

a fine variety of asbestos, with delicate, flexible filaments.

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Origin of amianthus

1660–70; <Latin amiantus<Greek amíantos, equivalent to a-a-⁶ + mian- (stem of miaínein to defile, make impure) + -tos verbal adjective suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM amianthus

am·i·an·thine

[am-ee-an-thuhn, -thahyn], /ˌæm iˈæn θən, -θaɪn/, adjectiveam·i·an·thoid, am·i·an·thoi·dal, adjective

Words nearby amianthus

Amharic, Amherst, ami, amiable, amianthoid, amianthus, amic, amicable, amicable number, amicably, amice

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use amianthus in a sentence

The Chinese and the Corsicans blend the fibres of amianthus in their pottery to give it tenacity.
Medical Essays|Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
What store of Amianthus there is in Cyprus; and how they work it?
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society - Vol 1 - 1666|Various

British Dictionary definitions for amianthus

amianthus

/ (ˌæmɪˈænθəs) /

noun

any of the fine silky varieties of asbestos

Derived forms of amianthus

amianthine, amianthoid or amianthoidal, adjective

Word Origin for amianthus

C17: from Latin amiantus, from Greek amiantos unsullied, from a- 1 + miainein to pollute

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012