Vesuvian

[ vuh-soo-vee-uh n ]

/ vəˈsu vi ən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR Vesuvian ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of, relating to, or resembling Mount Vesuvius; volcanic.

noun

(lowercase) a type of match formerly used for lighting cigars; fusee.

RELATED WORDS

Congreve, fusee, locofoco, Vesta

Origin of Vesuvian

First recorded in 1665–75; Vesuvi(us) + -an

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for vesuvian

Both had seen the Vesuvian bay many times, with never-failing love and interest.
The Carpet from Bagdad|Harold MacGrath
Readers will transport themselves to the Bay of Naples, and beautiful Vesuvian scenery seen from sea.
History of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Vol. XIV. (of XXI.)|Thomas Carlyle
If I have not lost my mind I have accurately conveyed those two Vesuvian irruptions of philosophy.
Essays on Paul Bourget|Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
Sir Humphry Davy observed that the fumes which escaped from Vesuvian lava deposited common salt.
The History of Salt|Evan Martlett Boddy

“Some few of them are sensible, though,” went on the latter, flaring up a vesuvian to light his pipe.
'Tween Snow and Fire|Bertram Mitford

British Dictionary definitions for vesuvian

vesuvian

/ (vɪˈsuːvɪən) /

noun

(esp formerly) a match for lighting cigars; fusee

another name for vesuvianite

Word Origin for vesuvian

C18 (the mineral), C19 (the match): both named after Vesuvius

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