caldera

[ kal-der-uh, kawl- ]
/ kælˈdɛr ə, kɔl- /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR caldera ON THESAURUS.COM

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 THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH caldera

caldera fumarole geyser volcano

Words nearby caldera

calcutta cup, caldarium, caldecott award, calder, calder, alexander, caldera, calderdale, calderón de la barca, caldron, caldwell, caldwell-luc operation
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to caldera

mouth, hole, pit, abyss, opening, bowl, hollow, depression

Example sentences from the Web for caldera

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.