Hypertext Webster Gateway: "asbestus"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Amphibole \Am"phi*bole\ ([a^]m"f[i^]*b[=o]l), n. [Gr.
'amfi`bolos doubtful, equivocal, fr. 'amfiba`llein to throw
round, to doubt: cf. F. amphibole. Ha["u]y so named the genus
from the great variety of color and composition assumed by
the mineral.] (Min.)
A common mineral embracing many varieties varying in color
and in composition. It occurs in monoclinic crystals; also
massive, generally with fibrous or columnar structure. The
color varies from white to gray, green, brown, and black. It
is a silicate of magnesium and calcium, with usually
aluminium and iron. Some common varieties are {tremolite},
{actinolite}, {asbestus}, {edenite}, {hornblende} (the last
name being also used as a general term for the whole
species). Amphibole is a constituent of many crystalline
rocks, as syenite, diorite, most varieties of trachyte, etc.
See {Hornblende}.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Asbestus \As*bes"tus\, Asbestos \As*bes"tos\ (?; 277), n. [L.
asbestos (NL. asbestus) a kind of mineral unaffected by fire,
Gr. ? (prop. an adj.) inextinguishable; 'a priv. + ? to
extinguish.] (Min.)
A variety of amphibole or of pyroxene, occurring in long and
delicate fibers, or in fibrous masses or seams, usually of a
white, gray, or green-gray color. The name is also given to a
similar variety of serpentine.
Note: The finer varieties have been wrought into gloves and
cloth which are incombustible. The cloth was formerly
used as a shroud for dead bodies, and has been
recommended for firemen's clothes. Asbestus in also
employed in the manufacture of iron safes, for
fireproof roofing, and for lampwicks. Some varieties
are called amianthus. --Dana.
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