pumice

[ puhm-is ]

noun

1. Also called pumice stone. a porous or spongy form of volcanic glass, used as an abrasive.

verb (used with object)

, pum·iced, pum·ic·ing.

1. to rub, smooth, clean, etc., with pumice.

pumice

/ ˈpʌmɪs; pjuːˈmɪʃəs /

noun

1. Also calledpumice stone a light porous acid volcanic rock having the composition of rhyolite, used for scouring and, in powdered form, as an abrasive and for polishing

verb

1. tr to rub or polish with pumice

pumice

/ pŭm′ĭs /

1. A usually light-colored, porous, lightweight rock of volcanic origin. The pores form when water vapor and gases escape from the lava during its quick solidification into rock.

Derived Forms

• pumiceous, adjective

Other Words From

• pu·mi·ceous [pyoo-, mish, -, uh, s], adjective
• pumic·er noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of pumice¹

First recorded before 1000; from Latin pūmic-, stem of pūmex “pumice stone”; replacing Middle English pomis(e), pomish(e), pomice, from Middle French pomis, from Latin; compare Old English pumic- (from Latin ), in pumicstān “pumice stone”; pounce ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of pumice¹

C15 pomys, from Old French pomis, from Latin pūmex

Example Sentences

They had also visited Pompeii, the ancient Italian city buried under volcanic ash and pumice when Mt.

From Los Angeles Times

The project had stalled around 2021 when a lawsuit argued that the road through the lake’s Pumice Plain could damage research in the monument.

From Seattle Times

Health sciences students from UW show up with boxes of supplies — buckets for footbaths, oatmeal packets to soothe the feet and decrease swelling, disposable absorbent pads and individual packets of nail supplies for each patient, including pumice stones, files, nail clippers and nail scrapers to clean nails and feet.

From Seattle Times

A wide residential and commercial block, known as "Region 9", is being cleared of several metres of overlying pumice and ash thrown out by Vesuvius almost 2,000 years ago.

From BBC

In addition to lava, volcanos eject large amounts of pumice, ashes and gases as a fast-moving flow, known as "pyroclastic flow," and its sediments are a valuable data source on past eruptions.

From Science Daily