volcano

noun, verb — 3 senses

volcano

noun

UK /vɒlˈkeɪ.nəʊ/ · US /vɑlˈkeɪ.noʊ/

Etymology From Italian vulcano, from Vulcano (“a small volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea”), from Latin Vulcānus (“Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and metalworking”). Doublet of bolcane and Vulcan.

1

A vent or fissure on the surface of a planet (usually in a mountainous form) with a magma chamber attached to the mantle of a planet or moon, periodically erupting forth lava and volcanic gases onto the surface.

  • Iceland's volcanoes are among the most active on Earth.
2

A kind of firework producing an upward plume of sparks.

Derived terms
volcanello, volcanic, volcanism, volcano boarding, volcano bowl, volcano cake, Volcano Islands, volcanology, volcano plot, volcano potato, volcano rabbit, volcano surfing
Related terms
crater, lava, lava flow, magma, vent
Hypernyms
mountain
Hyponyms
active volcano, complex volcano, cryovolcano, dormant volcano, flaming volcano, ice volcano, mud volcano, onion volcano, shield volcano, stratovolcano, subglacial volcano, supervolcano, table volcano

volcano

verb

Etymology From Italian vulcano, from Vulcano (“a small volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea”), from Latin Vulcānus (“Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and metalworking”). Doublet of bolcane and Vulcan.

1

to erupt; to burst forth

  • She shrank back, the words volcanoed, words that stabbed again, and yet again1951, Phyllis Hambledon, Nobody's Child:
  • Startled, you look up at the horizon just in time to see a gigantic plume of ash and dust volcanoing up into the sky and spreading out to form a gigantic cloud that will persist for days, weeks, perhaps years.2012, George Pratt, Peter Lambrou, John David Mann, Code to Joy: The Four-Step Solution to Unlocking Your Natural State of Happiness:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.