pumice

[ puhm-is ]

See synonyms for pumice on Thesaurus.com

noun

Also called pumice stone . a porous or spongy form of volcanic glass, used as an abrasive.

verb (used with object),pum·iced, pum·ic·ing.

to rub, smooth, clean, etc., with pumice.

Origin of pumice

First recorded before 1000; from Latin pūmic-, stem of pūmex “pumice stone”; replacing Middle English pomis(e), pomish(e), pomice, from Middle French pomis, from Latin; compare Old English pumic- (from Latin ), in pumicstān “pumice stone”; see pounce³

Other words from pumice

pu·mi·ceous [pyoo-mish-uhs], /pyuˈmɪʃ əs/, adjective
pum·ic·er, noun

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

How to use pumice in a sentence

The top and bottom (fronts) were trimmed perfectly smooth, polished with pumice-stone, and often painted black.
The Private Life of the Romans | Harold Whetstone Johnston
Kneeling with one knee upon the ground, each took me by a leg and began rubbing the soles of my feet with a pumice stone.
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 11, No. 24, March, 1873 | Various
The soft and creamy pumice-stone seemed nowhere to afford a single solid point of support.
The White Man's Foot | Grant Allen
Indeed, the lava was now almost ceasing to flow, and the bombardment of pumice-stone and fiery cinders had intermitted a little.
The White Man's Foot | Grant Allen
The reason why they can float seems to be that the clay of which they are made is like pumice-stone.
Ten Books on Architecture | Vitruvius

British Dictionary definitions for pumice

pumice

/ (ˈpʌmɪs) /

noun

Also called: pumice stone a light porous acid volcanic rock having the composition of rhyolite, used for scouring and, in powdered form, as an abrasive and for polishing

verb

(tr) to rub or polish with pumice

Origin of pumice

C15 pomys, from Old French pomis, from Latin pūmex

Derived forms of pumice

pumiceous (pjuːˈmɪʃəs), 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 pumice

pumice

[ pŭm′ĭs ]

A usually light-colored, porous, lightweight rock of volcanic origin. The pores form when water vapor and gases escape from the lava during its quick solidification into rock.

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