asbestos

Or as·bes·tus

[as-bes-tuhs, az-]

noun

1. Mineralogy.,  a fibrous mineral, either amphibole or chrysotile, formerly used for making incombustible or fireproof articles.

2. a fabric woven from asbestos fibers, formerly used for theater curtains, firefighters' gloves, etc.

3. Theater.,  a fireproof curtain.

asbestos

/ -təs, æsˈbɛstɒs /

noun

1. 1. any of the fibrous amphibole and serpentine minerals, esp chrysotile and tremolite, that are incombustible and resistant to chemicals. It was formerly widely used in the form of fabric or board as a heat-resistant structural material

   2. ( as modifier )

      asbestos matting

asbestos

1. Any of several fibrous mineral forms of magnesium silicate. Asbestos is resistant to heat, flames, and chemical action. Some forms have been shown to cause lung diseases. For this reason, asbestos is no longer used to make insulation, fireproofing material, and brake linings.

Other Word Forms

• asbestine adjective
• asbestous adjective
• asbestoid adjective
• asbestoidal adjective
• nonasbestine adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of asbestos¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Latin, from Greek: literally, “unquenched, inextinguishable” from a- a- ⁶ + sbestós “quenched, extinguished” (from sbennýnai “to quench”); replacing Middle English asbeston, albeston, from Middle French, from Latin

Word History and Origins

Origin of asbestos¹

C14 (originally applied to a mythical stone the heat of which could not be extinguished): via Latin from Greek: from asbestos inextinguishable, from _a- ¹ + sbennunai to extinguish