From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Asbestus \As*bes"tus\, Asbestos \As*bes"tos\ (?; 277), noun [L. asbestos (NL. asbestus) a kind of mineral unaffected by fire, Gr. ? (prop. an adjective) 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. Since the discovery, in the 1960's, of the ability of certain types of asbestos to cause lung cancer, its use has been more restricted, and precautions are taken to avoid inhalation of asbestos dust. Also, a debilitating lung disease, termed asbestosis, has been attributed to its inhalation. Lawsuits against the Johns-Manville corporation by those claiming to have been injured by asbestos resulted in the bankruptcy of that corporation, and the transfer of its assets to the claimants. (ca. 1985) [1913 Webster+PJC]
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
noun
1: a fibrous amphibole; used for making fireproof articles; inhaling fibers can cause asbestosis or lung cancer
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
43 Moby Thesaurus words for "asbestos": act drop, amianthus, asbestos board, asbestos curtain, backdrop, batten, border, cloth, coulisse, counterweight, curtain, curtain board, cyclorama, decor, drop, drop curtain, earth flax, fire break, fire curtain, fire line, fire resistance, fire retardant, fire wall, fireproofing, flat, flipper, hanging, mountain flax, rag, scene, scenery, screen, side scene, stage screw, tab, tableau, teaser, tormentor, transformation, transformation scene, wing, wingcut, woodcut
From Jargon File (4.3.1, 29 Jun 2001) [jargon]:
asbestos adjective [common] Used as a modifier to anything intended to protect one from {flame}s; also in other highly {flame}-suggestive usages. See, for example, {asbestos longjohns} and {asbestos cork award}.
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03) [foldoc]:
asbestos Used as a modifier to anything intended to protect one from {flames}; also in other highly {flame}-suggestive usages. E.g., {asbestos longjohns}, {asbestos cork award}. [{Jargon File}] (1996-02-06)
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