nuée ardente
[ French ny-ey ar-dahnt ]
/ French nü eɪ arˈdɑ̃t /
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.
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Origin of nuée ardente
1900–05; <French: literally, burning cloud
Words nearby nuée ardente
nudism, 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. 2020
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
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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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.