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Vesuvius

[ vuh-soo-vee-uh s ]
/ vəˈsu vi əs /

noun

Mount, an active volcano in SW Italy, near Naples. Its eruption destroyed the ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum a.d. 79. About 3900 feet (1190 meters).
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for mount vesuvius

Vesuvius
/ (vɪˈsuːvɪəs) /

noun

a volcano in SW Italy, on the Bay of Naples: first recorded eruption in 79 ad, which destroyed Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabiae; numerous eruptions since then. Average height: 1220 m (4003 ft)Italian name: Vesuvio (veˈzuːvjo)
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

Cultural definitions for mount vesuvius

Mount Vesuvius
[ (vuh-sooh-vee-uhs) ]

Volcano, in southwestern Italy on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

notes for Mount Vesuvius

It is the only active volcano on the mainland of Europe. (Another, Mount Etna, is on the island of Sicily.)

notes for Mount Vesuvius

One of its earliest recorded eruptions, in a.d. 79, buried Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabiae under cinders, ash, and mud.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.