Resembling or having characteristics similar to amiant asbestos; amianthiform.
From 'amiant' or 'amianthus' plus the Greek suffix '-oid' (from 'eidos' meaning appearance). The '-oid' suffix creates adjectives meaning 'resembling or similar to.'
The '-oid' suffix is everywhere in English—android (like a human), asteroid (like a star), paranoid (like suspicion)—and it's one of the most useful word-building tools for scientists describing things that are similar to, but not exactly, something else.
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