amianthus

[am-ee-an-thuh s]

noun Mineralogy.

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

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

Related formsam·i·an·thine

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for amianthus

Historical Examples of amianthus

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

British Dictionary definitions for amianthus

amianthus

noun

any of the fine silky varieties of asbestos

Derived Formsamianthine, 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