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chrys·o·tile

(krĭsə-tĭl′)

A whitish, fibrous serpentine mineral, Mg₃Si₂O₅(OH)₄, that is the most common variety of commercial asbestos. Also called white asbestos.

[German Chrysotil : Greek khrūso-, chryso- (from the yellow color of chrysotile fibers when viewed under a microscope from an angle close to the long axis of the fibers) + Greek tilos, thing plucked out, hair of the eyebrows (from tillein, to pluck (hair or feathers), perhaps from earlier *ptillein (dissimilated in such compounds as *apoptillein, to pluck away, and *periptillein, to pluck all over), from ptilon, feather; see pet- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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