solfatara

[ sohl-fuh-tahr-uh, sol- ]

/ ˌsoʊl fəˈtɑr ə, ˌsɒl- /

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noun Geology.

a fumarole that gives off only sulfurous gases.

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Origin of solfatara

1770–80; <Italian (Neapolitan) solfatara, derivative of solfo<Latin sulfur;see sulfur

OTHER WORDS FROM solfatara

sol·fa·ta·ric, adjective

Words nearby solfatara

sole-source, sole trader, Soleure, soleus, sol-fa, solfatara, solfège, solfeggio, Solferino, solgel, soli-

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

How to use solfatara in a sentence

On our way back we visited Solfatara, the celebrated crater plain, about 1000 feet in length by 800 in breadth, skirted by hills.
A Visit to the Holy Land, Egypt, and Italy|Ida Pfeiffer
When the ground was struck with a stick, it gave forth a hollow rumbling sound like at Solfatara.
A Visit to the Holy Land, Egypt, and Italy|Ida Pfeiffer
A walk up a boulder-strewn slope reaches the old crater, or Solfatara, almost surrounded by steep walls of rock.
Through the Malay Archipelago|Emily Richings
The whole of the Solfatara crater has been enclosed for the purpose of manufacturing alum from its soil.
Roman Mosaics|Hugh Macmillan

The vast works for the refining of sulphur in the volcanic district of Solfatara were erected under his direction.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 4|Various

British Dictionary definitions for solfatara

solfatara

/ (ˌsɒlfəˈtɑːrə) /

noun

a volcanic vent emitting only sulphurous gases and water vapour or sometimes hot mud

Derived forms of solfatara

solfataric, adjective

Word Origin for solfatara

C18: from Italian: a sulphurous volcano near Naples, from solfo sulphur

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