From Greek 'ásbestos' (inextinguishable), from 'a-' (not) + 'sbennýnai' (to quench) — named for its miraculous resistance to fire.
A naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral that is heat-resistant, used historically in insulation and fireproofing but now known to cause severe lung disease and cancer.
From Latin 'asbestos,' from Greek 'ásbestos' (ἄσβεστος), literally meaning 'inextinguishable' or 'unquenchable.' The word is composed of the negative prefix 'a-' (not) and 'sbestós' (σβεστός), the verbal adjective of 'sbennýnai' (σβεννύναι, to quench, extinguish). The name referred to a mythical indestructible stone or, more practically, to the mineral's remarkable ability to resist fire
Charlemagne reportedly impressed dinner guests by throwing a tablecloth into the fire and pulling it out unburned — the cloth was woven from asbestos fibers. Marco Polo reported a similar demonstration in China. The mineral's name, 'inextinguishable,' must have seemed perfectly apt when you could throw it into flames
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