amianthus

[ am-ee-an-thuh s ]

/ ˌæm iˈæn θəs /

noun Mineralogy.

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

Words nearby amianthus

amharic, amherst, ami, amiable, amianthoid, amianthus, amic, amicable, amicable number, amice, amicheme

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-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. 2020

Examples from the Web for 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

/ (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