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mofette

or mof·fette

[moh-fet; French maw-fet]
noun
  1. a noxious emanation, consisting chiefly of carbon dioxide, escaping from the earth in regions of nearly extinct volcanic activity.
  2. one of the openings or fissures from which this emanation issues.
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Origin of mofette

1815–25; < French < Italian moffetta (Neapolitan mufeta), equivalent to muff(a) (Upper Italian mofa) mould (< Langobardic; compare German Muff mould, late Middle High German müffeln to give off a foul smell) + -etta -etta
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for mofette

mofette

noun
  1. an opening in a region of nearly extinct volcanic activity, through which carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and other gases pass
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Word Origin

C19: from French, from Neapolitan Italian mofeta; compare dialect German muffezen to smell fetid
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