asbestos English · revision 1173

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /æsˈbɛs.tɒs/, /æsˈbɛs.təs/ ''(UK)''; /æsˈbɛs.təs/, /æz-/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|la|asbestos]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(RHWU) [[der|grc|ἄσβεστος|tr=ásbestos|t=unquenchable]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) [[af|grc|ἀ-|σβέννυμι|tr1=a-|tr2=sbénnumi|t1=not|t2=to quench]].^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) In Greek the noun meant quicklime, which “burns” when water is poured on it.^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(AHD) It replaced earlier ''albeston'' and ''abestus'',^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) from Old French ''abeste'', ''abeston'' and Medieval Latin ''albeston''.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A fabulous stone which, once set alight, could not be put out (''abestus'' before 1100;^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) 1387 in the OED).^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Pliny mistakenly applied the Greek word to an incombustible fibre that he thought was vegetable.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1995) The fibrous mineral that can be woven into fireproof cloth has been called ''asbestos'' in English since 1607;^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)^(OED 1989) earlier it was ''amiant'', from the Greek for “undefiled”.^(Etymonline) In the Middle Ages it was thought to be salamanders' wool.^(Etymonline) Merriam-Webster notes that asbestos causes asbestosis and has been implicated in some cancers.^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * before 1100 – ''abestus'', a fabulous stone.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1387 – the unquenchable stone.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1607 – the fibrous mineral.^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1658 – the form ''asbestos''.^(Barnhart 1995)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # Any of several fibrous [[mineral|alt=minerals]], forms of magnesium [[silicate]], formerly used for fireproofing, [[insulation]] and brake linings.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A fireproof fabric woven from asbestos fibres, as for a theatre curtain.^(RHWU)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Made of or containing asbestos.^(AHD)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[asbestine]]

+ * [[asbestoid]]

+ * [[asbestosis]]

+ * [[asbestos cement]]

+ * [[blue asbestos]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[amianthus]]

+ * [[salamander]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}