pumice
pronunciation
How to pronounce pumice in British English:
UK [ˈpʌmɪs]
How to pronounce pumice in American English:
US [ˈpʌmɪs]
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- Noun:
- a light glass formed on the surface of some lavas; used as an abrasive
Word Origin
- pumice
- pumice: [15] Pumice comes via Old French pomis from Latin pūmex ‘pumice’. This went back to a prehistoric Indo-European *poimo-, source also of English foam and of Latin spūma ‘foam, froth’ (from which English gets spume).=> foam, spume
- pumice (n.)
- c. 1400, from Anglo-French and Old French pomis (13c.), from Late Latin pomicem (nominative pomex, genitive pumicis), from Oscan *poimex or some other dialectal variant of Latin pumex "pumice," from PIE *(s)poi-mo-, a root with connotations of "foam, froth" (see foam (n.)). Old English had pumic-stan. As a verb, early 15c., from the noun.
Example
- 1. Daily massages with large pumice stones and coconut husks , to keep their blood circulation healthy
- 2. The pumice comes from italy ; and the pigment which gives " the plug " its color is cadmium sulfide .
- 3. Doo town , taishan pumice stone of the village committee .
- 4. " Beside a pumice isle in baiae 's bay , and saw in sleep old palaces and towers quivering within the wave 's intenser day , "
- 5. " In guatemala city [ the pumice is ] unconsolidated , it ` s loose , " he said . " It hasn ` t been hardened into a rock yet , so it ` s easily eroded , especially by swift running water . "