salamander's wool
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Asbestos, a fibrous mineral, affirmed by the Tartars to be made "of the root of a tree." Jt is sometimes called "mountain flax," and is not combustible.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “salamander's wool” mean?
Asbestos, a fibrous mineral, affirmed by the Tartars to be made "of the root of a tree." Jt is sometimes called "mountain flax," and is not combustible.
Is “salamander's wool” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.