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nuée ardente

American  
[ny-ay ar-dahnt] / nü eɪ arˈdɑ̃t /

noun

Geology.
  • nuées ardentes
    plural
  1. (in a volcanic eruption) a swiftly flowing, dense cloud of hot gases, ashes, and lava fragments.


nuée ardente British  
/ ˈnyeɪ ɑːˈdɑ̃t /

noun

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

"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

nuée ardente Scientific  
/ no̅o̅-ā′ăr-dänt′ /
  • nuées ardentes
    plural
  1. A fast moving gaseous cloud of hot ashes and other material thrown out from an erupting volcano. Nuées ardentes are often incandescent.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of nuée ardente

1900–05; < French: literally, burning cloud


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