asbestos

or as·bes·tus

[ as-bes-tuh s, az- ]

/ æsˈbɛs təs, æz- /

noun

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

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

Theater. a fireproof curtain.

Words nearby asbestos

asat, asb, asb., asben, asbestoid, asbestos, asbestos body, asbestos cement, asbestosis, asbjörnsen, asbm

Origin of asbestos

1350–1400; < Latin < Greek: literally, unquenched, equivalent to a- a-⁶ + sbestós (sbes- variant stem of sbennýnai to quench + -tos past participle suffix); replacing Middle English asbeston, albeston < Middle French < Latin

OTHER WORDS FROM asbestos

as·bes·tine

[as-bes-tin, az-] /æsˈbɛs tɪn, æz-/, as·bes·tous, adjectiveas·bes·toid, as·bes·toi·dal, adjectivenon·as·bes·tine, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for asbestus

It consisted of a tube, containing at one end a plug of asbestus, moistened with a solution of iodide of potassium and starch.
The Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal, Vol. XLIX|Various
The Asbestus, a mineral substance of a whitish or silver color.
A Catechism of Familiar Things; Their History, and the Events Which Led to Their Discovery|Benziger Brothers
There was a city of the same name in Eubœa, expressed Carystus, where the stone Asbestus was found.
A New System; or, an Analysis of Antient Mythology. Volume I.|Jacob Bryant
Stones also differ in their weight or gravity: for instance, some of the asbestus kind are lighter than water.
A Catechism of Familiar Things; Their History, and the Events Which Led to Their Discovery|Benziger Brothers

British Dictionary definitions for asbestus

asbestos

/ (æsˈbɛstɒs, -təs) /

noun

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
(as modifier)asbestos matting

Derived forms of asbestos

asbestine, adjective

Word Origin for asbestos

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

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

Medical definitions for asbestus

asbestos

[ ăs-bĕs′təs, ăz- ]

n.

Either of two incombustible, chemical-resistant, fibrous mineral forms of impure magnesium silicate, formerly used for fireproofing, electrical insulation, brake linings, and chemical filters but now banned because it causes pleural mesothelioma and asbestosis.

adj.

Of, made of, or containing one or the other of these two mineral forms.

Scientific definitions for asbestus

asbestos

[ ăs-bĕs′təs ]

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.