amianthus
[ am-ee-an-thuhs ]
nounMineralogy.
a fine variety of asbestos, with delicate, flexible filaments.
Origin of amianthus
11660–70; <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/, adjective
- am·i·an·thoid, am·i·an·thoi·dal, adjective
Words Nearby amianthus
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
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?
British Dictionary definitions for amianthus
amianthus
/ (ˌæmɪˈænθəs) /
noun
any of the fine silky varieties of asbestos
Origin of amianthus
1C17: from Latin amiantus, from Greek amiantos unsullied, from a- 1 + miainein to pollute
Derived forms of amianthus
- amianthine, amianthoid or amianthoidal, adjective
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
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