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⇱ asbestos - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

asbestos

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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/æsˈbɛstɒs/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/æsˈbɛstəs, æz-/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(as bes′təs, az-)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
as•bes•tos /æsˈbɛstəs, æz-/USA pronunciation   n. [uncountable]
  1. Mineralogya soft gray mineral that occurs as a fiber-like substance, formerly used for making fireproof articles and in building insulation.
Sometimes, asˈbes•tus.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
as•bes•tos  (as bes′təs, az-),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. Mineralogya 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.
  3. Show Business[Theat.]a fireproof curtain.
Also, as•bes′tus. 
  • Latin
  • Middle French
  • 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
  • Latin
  • 1350–1400;
as•bes′toid, as′bes•toi′dal, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
asbestos /æsˈbɛstɒs; -təs/, asbestus /æsˈbɛstəs/ n
    • 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
Etymology: 14th Century (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
'asbestos' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
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