PUMICE

pumice, pumice stone

(noun) a light glass formed on the surface of some lavas; used as an abrasive

pumice

(verb) rub with pumice, in order to clean or to smoothen

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

pumice (countable and uncountable, plural pumices)

A light, porous type of pyroclastic igneous rock, formed during explosive volcanic eruptions when liquid lava is ejected into water or air as a froth containing masses of gas bubbles. As the lava solidifies, the bubbles are frozen into the rock.

Verb

pumice (third-person singular simple present pumices, present participle pumicing, simple past and past participle pumiced)

(transitive) To abrade or roughen with pumice.

Source: Wiktionary


Pum"ice, n. Etym: [L. pumex, pumicis, prob. akin to spuma foam: cf. AS. pumic-stan. Cf. Pounce a powder, Spume.] (Min.)

Definition: A very light porous volcanic scoria, usually of a gray color, the pores of which are capillary and parallel, giving it a fibrous structure. It is supposed to be produced by the disengagement of watery vapor without liquid or plastic lava. It is much used, esp. in the form of powder, for smoothing and polishing. Called also pumice stone.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

6 May 2025

HEEDLESS

(adjective) marked by or paying little heed or attention; “We have always known that heedless self-interest was bad morals; we know now that it is bad economics”--Franklin D. Roosevelt; “heedless of danger”; “heedless of the child’s crying”


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Coffee Trivia

Coffee starts as a yellow berry, changes into a red berry, and then is picked by hand to harvest. The red berry is de-shelled through a water soaking process and what’s left inside is the green coffee bean. This bean then dries in the sun for 3-5 days, where it is then packed and ready for sale.

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