asbestine
|a-bes-tine|
/əˈbɛstaɪn/
resembling asbestos
Etymology
'asbestine' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'asbestos' (ἄσβεστος), where the prefix 'a-' meant 'not' and the root (from the verb σβέννυμι) meant 'to quench', giving the sense 'inextinguishable'; the adjectival suffix '-ine' (from Latin/French) means 'of or relating to'.
'asbestine' was formed in English by attaching the suffix '-ine' to the noun 'asbestos' (itself borrowed into Latin/Medieval Latin from Greek 'asbestos'); the compound usage appears in scientific and descriptive texts from the 17th–19th centuries into modern technical/archaic usage.
Initially 'asbestos' referred to the inextinguishable mineral itself; 'asbestine' came to mean 'of or like asbestos' and over time has been used chiefly in technical, descriptive, or archaic contexts to denote materials resembling or containing asbestos.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a (rare or archaic) term for an asbestos substance or fiber; an asbestiform mineral or material.
Laboratory tests detected traces of asbestine in the insulation samples.
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Adjective 1
resembling, containing, or having the properties of asbestos (fibrous, heat-resistant); used especially in technical or older contexts to describe materials or textures like asbestos.
The old building was lined with asbestine insulation that required specialist removal.
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Last updated: 2025/10/25 14:26