noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
UK:/ˈæs.bɛsˌtəʊ.sɪs/
UK:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:/ˌæs.bɛsˈtoʊ.sɪs/
General-American:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:AE2 S B EH2 S T OW1 S AH0 S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2:AE2 S B EH2 S T OW1 S IH0 S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A chronic, inflammatory lung disease caused by long-term, heavy exposure to asbestos.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: medicine, pathology, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
lung disease caused by inhaling asbestos particles
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: pneumoconiosis, pneumonoconiosis
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Hellenic *ə- Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-) Proto-Indo-European *(s)gwes-der.? Ancient Greek σβέννῡμῐ (sbénnūmĭ) Ancient Greek σβεστός (sbestós) Ancient Greek ἄσβεστος (ásbestos)bor. Latin asbestosbor. Old French abestosder. English asbestos Proto-Indo-European *-tis Ancient Greek -τις (-tis) Ancient Greek -σῐς (-sĭs) Ancient Greek -ωσις (-ōsis)bor. New Latin -ōsislbor. English -osis English asbestosis From asbestos + -osis.
Across languages
Translations
20 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Armenian:
ազբեստոզ
(azbestoz)
— lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos
Basque:
asbestosi
— lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos
Catalan:
asbestosi
— lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos
Chinese Mandarin:
石棉肺
(shímiánfèi)
— lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos
Czech:
azbestóza
— lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos
Danish:
asbestose
— lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos
Finnish:
asbestoosi
— lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos
Finnish:
asbestipölykeuhko
— lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos
German:
Asbestose
— lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos
Greek:
ασβέστωση
(asvéstosi)
— lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos
Hungarian:
azbesztózis
— lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos
Italian:
asbestosi
— lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos
Lithuanian:
asbestozė
— lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos
Māori:
mate kiripaka
— lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos
Polish:
azbestoza
— lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos
Portuguese:
asbestose
— lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos
Romanian:
asbestoză
— lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos
Russian:
асбесто́з
(asbestóz)
— lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos
Spanish:
asbestosis
— lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos
Swedish:
asbestos
— lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos