nuée ardente

[ French ny-eyar-dahnt ]

/ French nü eɪ arˈdɑ̃t /

Save This Word!

noun, plural nu·ées ar·dentes

[French ny-ey zar-dahnt]. /French nü eɪ zarˈdɑ̃t/. Geology.

(in a volcanic eruption) a swiftly flowing, dense cloud of hot gases, ashes, and lava fragments.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of nuée ardente

1900–05; <French: literally, burning cloud

Words nearby nuée ardente

nudist, nudity, nudnik, nudum pactum, Nueces, nuée ardente, Nuer, Nueva Gerona, Nueva Ocotepeque, Nueva San Salvador, Nuevo Laredo

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use nuée ardente in a sentence

It irresistibly reminded me of the last ceremonial of dead sovereigns, the "Chapelle Ardente."
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 58, Number 358, August 1845|Various
Ici la race est daccord avec le paysage, srieuse comme lui, ardente sans frivolit, sans lgances inutiles.
How France Built Her Cathedrals|Elizabeth Boyle O'Reilly
“There is a bottle of agua ardente, and there is another thing we will try,” he said, and rushed to the canoe.
On the Banks of the Amazon|W.H.G. Kingston
The Chambre Ardente deliberated on the fate of 442 accused persons, and ordered the arrest of 367 of these.
Princes and Poisoners|Frantz Funck-Brentano

This document was found among the papers seized on the sorceress by the Chambre Ardente.
Princes and Poisoners|Frantz Funck-Brentano

British Dictionary definitions for nuée ardente

nuée ardente

/ (ˈnyeɪ ɑːˈdɑ̃t) /

noun

a rapidly moving turbulent incandescent cloud of gas, ash, and rock fragments flowing close to the ground after violent ejection from a volcanoSee also ignimbrite

Word Origin for nuée ardente

C20: from French, literally: burning cloud

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 nuée ardente

nuée ardente

[ nōō-ā′ ăr-däɴt′ ]

Plural nuées ardentes (nōō-āz′ ăr-däɴt′)

A fast moving gaseous cloud of hot ashes and other material thrown out from an erupting volcano. Nuées ardentes are often incandescent.