asbestos

or as·bes·tus

[ as-bes-tuhs, az- ]
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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.

  1. Theater. a fireproof curtain.

Origin of asbestos

1
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

Other words from asbestos

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

Words Nearby asbestos

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use asbestos in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for asbestos

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

Origin of asbestos

1
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

Derived forms of asbestos

  • asbestine, adjective

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

Scientific definitions for asbestos

asbestos

[ ăs-bĕstəs ]


  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.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.