Synonyms

ejecta

American

[ih-jek-tuh] / ɪˈdʒɛk tə /

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb)

matter ejected, as from a volcano in eruption.

ejecta British

/ ɪˈdʒɛktə /

plural noun

matter thrown out of a crater by an erupting volcano or during a meteorite impact

"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

ejecta Scientific

/ ĭ-jĕk′tə /

Ejected matter, especially from an erupting volcano. Volcanic ejecta usually includes volcanic glass, ash, and rock fragments.

Etymology

Origin of ejecta

1885–90; neuter plural of Latin ējectus. See eject

Explanation

Ejecta is the scientific term for material that is thrown or forced out due to an eruption, explosion, or impact. When a star explodes, the matter that is thrown out from the center is called ejecta. A volcano casts out molten ejecta in the form of lava bombs. Other volcanic ejecta includes ash, dust, and rock fragments. When a large meteorite from space hits Earth's surface, the impact sends a spray of pulverized rock and debris outwards. That ejecta settles around a newly created crater. Human activity can create ejecta, too. When bombs are detonated, massive amounts of ejecta in the form of soil and rock fragments are displaced and launched outward and upward.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“They are able to show that ejecta from a crater the size of the Giordano Bruno … could survive for a long enough timescale in a co-orbital zone around Earth.”

From Science Magazine • Apr. 19, 2024

"To create these ions that we observed in the ejecta, it was clear that there had to be a source of high-energy radiation in the center of the SN 1987A remnant," Fransson said.

From Science Daily • Feb. 22, 2024

"We actually used the equations of volcanoes to predict how fast ejecta would fly - 90 meters per second," he told BBC News.

From BBC • Nov. 18, 2023

But then sometime between day 200 and 1000 the ejecta must have clashed with the hollow ring of star stuff, causing it to light up again.

From Space Scoop • Mar. 21, 2023

Lots of carbon comes up with kimberlite ejecta, but most is vaporized or turns to graphite.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023