Webster's English Dictionary

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asbestos

as.bes.tos also as.bes.tus \as-'bes-t*s, az-\ n [ME albestron mineral 
   supposed to be inextinguishable when set on fire, p]rob. fr. MF, fr. ML 
   asbeston, alter. of L asbestos, fr. Gk, unslaked lime, fr. asbestos 
   inextinguishable, fr. a- + sbennynai to quench; akin to Lith gesti to be 
   extinguished : a mineral (as amphibole) that readily separates into long 
   flexible fiber s suitable for use as an incombustible, nonconducting, or 
   chemically resistant material