asbestos

noun/æsˈbɛstəs/

Frequency rank: #7,285 of 20,003 in the WORDED list (wordfreq data)

Meaning

A naturally occurring fibrous mineral once widely used in construction for its heat resistance, now known to be hazardous to health.

Illustration for the English word “asbestos”

Example sentence

Workers who handled asbestos without protection often developed serious lung diseases later in life.

More words in ranks 7,201–7,300