caldera
[ kal-der-uh, kawl- ]
/ kælˈdɛr ə, kɔl- /
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noun
a large, basinlike depression resulting from the explosion or collapse of the center of a volcano.
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Origin of caldera
1860–65; <Spanish Caldera, name of a crater on Canary Islands, literally, cauldron <Late Latin caldāria, noun use of feminine of caldārius of warming; see caldarium
Words nearby caldera
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
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British Dictionary definitions for caldera
caldera
/ (kælˈdɛərə, ˈkɔːldərə) /
noun
a large basin-shaped crater at the top of a volcano, formed by the collapse or explosion of the coneSee cirque
Word Origin for caldera
C19: from Spanish Caldera (literally: cauldron), name of a crater in the Canary Islands
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Scientific definitions for caldera
caldera
[ kăl-dâr′ə, -dîr′ə, käl- ]
A large, roughly circular crater left after a volcanic explosion or the collapse of a volcanic cone. Calderas are typically much wider in diameter than the openings of the vents from which they were formed.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.