Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Any of six incombustible, chemical-resistant, fibrous minerals of impure magnesium silicate, occurring in either serpentine or amphibole form and used historically in many products, including fireproofing, electrical insulation, building materials, brake linings, and chemical filters. Owing to health hazards, notably from inhalation, use of asbestos has been restricted.
- adjective Of, made of, or containing one of these six mineral forms.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A fabulous stone, which, once set on fire, could not be quenched: a notion due to observation of the effect of cold water in heating quicklime.
- noun A supposed kind of flax, alleged to be incombustible.
- noun A fibrous variety of amphibole or hornblende, composed of separable filaments, with a silky luster; also, in popular use, a similar variety of serpentine called
chrysotile .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Any of several
fibrous mineral forms ofmagnesium silicate , used forfireproofing , electrical insulation, building materials, brake linings, and chemical filters; the smallfibres can causecancer when lodged in the lungs. - adjective Of, or relating to asbestos.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a fibrous amphibole; used for making fireproof articles; inhaling fibers can cause asbestosis or lung cancer
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word asbestos.
Examples
-
The term asbestos covers all fibrous minerals with some tensile strength which are poor conductors and can be used for heat-protection.
-
The Greek word ασβεστος, meaning "unquenchable", survives as the term asbestos, a mineral once prized as a flame-retardant.
-
The Greek word ασβεστος, meaning "unquenchable", survives as the term asbestos, a mineral once prized as a flame-retardant.
-
The Greek word ασβεστος, meaning "unquenchable", survives as the term asbestos, a mineral once prized as a flame-retardant.
-
The Greek word ασβεστος, meaning "unquenchable", survives as the term asbestos, a mineral once prized as a flame-retardant.
-
The Greek word ασβεστος, meaning "unquenchable", survives as the term asbestos, a mineral once prized as a flame-retardant.
-
The Greek word ασβεστος, meaning "unquenchable", survives as the term asbestos, a mineral once prized as a flame-retardant.
-
The Greek word ασβεστος, meaning "unquenchable", survives as the term asbestos, a mineral once prized as a flame-retardant.
-
They are people who say that asbestos is as good as talcum powder — and I hope they put it on their faces every day.
-
I had the opportunity to ask him a question about the asbestos issue, since he has been dancing around it for weeks: now that the Health Canada report on asbestos is in the public domain, will he and his party take a final, definitive stand on the export of this carcinogen to the Third World?
Archive 2009-05-01 2009
chained_bear commented on the word asbestos
Interesting list about asbestos-containing products here.
p.s. does anyone else find it thought-provoking, if not disturbing, that this word is on JesusIsLord's list? What do you (does he/she) think God is trying to tell us?
September 3, 2008
reesetee commented on the word asbestos
Maybe s/he--excuse me, S/He--just likes the word.
September 4, 2008