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tephra

[tef-ruh]
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noun (used with a plural verb)
  1. clastic volcanic material, as scoria, dust, etc., ejected during an eruption.
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Origin of tephra

First recorded in 1960–65, tephra is from the Greek word téphra (singular) ashes
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for tephra

tephra

noun
  1. mainly US solid matter ejected during a volcanic eruption
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Word Origin

C20: Greek, literally: ashes
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
tephra in Science

tephra

[tĕf′rə]
  1. Solid matter, such as ash, dust, and cinders, that is ejected into the air by an erupting volcano. Tephra is a general term for all pyroclastic materials ejected from a volcano.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.