shield volcano

[ sheeldvol-key-noh ]

/ ˈʃild vɒlˌkeɪ noʊ /

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noun Geology.

a volcano formed entirely from accumulated flows of fluid lava, growing a few feet at a time and giving the volcano its broad, gently sloping profile.

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Compare cinder cone, stratovolcano.

Origin of shield volcano

First recorded in 1910–15; translation of German Schildvulkan, from the resemblance of the volcano to an upturned circular shield

Words nearby shield volcano

shield law, shield match, Shield of David, Shields, shield-tailed snake, shield volcano, shieling, shier, shiest, shift, shiftable

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

How to use shield volcano in a sentence

The largest shield volcano on Earth, Mauna Loa in Hawaii, is only 120 kilometers wide at the base.
NASA Is Returning to Venus, Where It’s 470°C. Will We Find Life When We Get There?|Gail Iles|June 9, 2021|Singularity Hub
If the conduit to the magma below remains open, the Geldingadalur eruption could end up building a small shield volcano, an extremely broad magmatic mound with a very low-angle slope.
Iceland’s Eruptions Reveal the Hot History of Mars|Robin George Andrews|April 6, 2021|Quanta Magazine
He remains busy trying to penetrate the shield with something much smarter.
A Gift to the Jihadis: The Unseen Airport Security Threat|Clive Irving|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Liu was also well aware of the risks that came with the shield.
In The Shadow of Murdered Cops|Michael Daly|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The daily message of that outsized shield to Ramos was that just wearing the NYPD inform can make you a target.
In The Shadow of Murdered Cops|Michael Daly|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He tended to shield himself from disappointment by expecting the worst—of people and of his country.
How Richard Pryor Beat Bill Cosby and Transformed America|David Yaffe, Scott Saul|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
UPDATE: "My firm has done nothing to shield anyone or any entity from any sanctions," Goldin told The Daily Beast in an email.
Exclusive: Did This Manhattan Firm Help Shield a Russian Fund From Sanctions?|Bill Conroy|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A volcano broke out in the island of St. George, one of the Azores.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
There is a companion who condoleth with his friend for his belly's sake, and he will take up a shield against the enemy.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
The sailors had hoped they would be able to shield the Southern point of the Peninsula by interposing their ships but they can't.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
Fujiyama, the noted volcano of Japan, is twelve thousand three hundred and sixty-five feet high.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
I should judge from what I see and feel that shade is seldom wanting here, except as a shield from the rain.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley

British Dictionary definitions for shield volcano

shield volcano

noun

a broad volcano built up from the repeated nonexplosive eruption of basalt to form a low dome or shield, usually having a large caldera at the summit

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 shield volcano

shield volcano

See under volcano.