Where does “asbestos” come from?
asbestos (Latin) comes from Ancient Greek ἄσβεστος, from Ancient Greek ἀ-, from Proto-Hellenic hə-, from Proto-Indo-European sm̥-, from Proto-Indo-European sem- — together, one.
Ancestry of “asbestos”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Ancient Greek | ἄσβεστος | unquenchable, inextinguishable; endless,... |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | ἀ- | The alpha privativum, used to make words that... |
| 3 | Proto-Hellenic | hə- | same; together |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | sm̥- | one; with, together |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | sem- | together, one |
Words derived from “asbestos”