lava lamp

[ lah-vuh lamp ]

noun

1. an electric lamp made of a transparent, tapered cylinder containing a liquid in which a colored wax-based or waxlike substance is stimulated by the heat of the light bulb to change into randomly separating shapes that constantly rise and fall:

   Call me an old hippie, but lava lamps belong in rooms with Woodstock posters and beaded curtains, not among the pristine décor of gabled verandas.

lava lamp

noun

1. a decorative type of lamp in which a luminous viscous material moves in constantly changing shapes

Word History and Origins

Origin of lava lamp¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Word History and Origins

Origin of lava lamp¹

C20: from the resemblance of the shapes to molten lava in water

Example Sentences

Other activities put a Halloween twist on the classic volcano experiment and show you how to make your own glow-in-the-dark lava lamp.

From Science News For Students

This daily YouTube broadcast included science demonstrations and activities — such as building catapults and lava lamps — for kids and families to do at home.

From Science News

Fish oil, Vaseline, and “the goop inside homemade lava lamps.”

From Popular-Science