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pumice

/ˈpʌməs/
/ˈpʌmɪs/
IPA guide

Other forms: pumiced; pumices

Pumice is a very light stone that comes from volcanic rock. Formed from lava, pumice is porous, or full of tiny holes. It may sound exotic, but you can buy one at the drug store and scrub your feet with it.

The pumice found by a geologist or displayed in a museum exhibit about volcanoes is the same material as the pumice stones that you'd use to smooth the callouses off your feet. Pumice is also useful for "aging" denim (or making stone-washed jeans), and it's included in objects like pencil erasers and cinder blocks. The word comes from the Latin pumex, which shares a root with "foam."

Definitions of pumice
  1. noun
    a porous rock formed on the surface of some lavas
    synonyms: pumice stone
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    type of:
    rock, stone
    material consisting of the aggregate of minerals like those making up the Earth's crust
  2. verb
    rub with pumice, in order to clean or to smoothen
    see moresee less
    type of:
    rub
    move over something with pressure
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