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.
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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, adjectiveWords nearby asbestos
asat, asb, asb., asben, asbestoid, asbestos, asbestos body, asbestos cement, asbestosis, asbjörnsen, asbm
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences 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 Asbestus, a mineral substance of a whitish or silver color.
There was a city of the same name in Eubœa, expressed Carystus, where the stone Asbestus was found.
Stones also differ in their weight or gravity: for instance, some of the asbestus kind are lighter than water.
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, adjectiveWord 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.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.