Vesuvian

American  

[vuh-soo-vee-uhn] / vəˈsu vi ən /

adjective

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

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noun

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

vesuvian British  

/ vɪˈsuːvɪən /

noun

1. (esp formerly) a match for lighting cigars; fusee

2. another name for vesuvianite

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Etymology

Origin of Vesuvian

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

Example Sentences

One of the more remarkable findings was the product of pure scholarship: Mr. Goddio remembered a fresco he’d seen unearthed in Herculaneum, the city buried along with Pompeii by the Vesuvian eruption of A.D.

From The Wall Street Journal

Now, the diggers are progressively pulling away the volcanic ash and pea-sized stones, known as lapilli that smothered Pompeii during the two catastrophic days of the Vesuvian eruption.

From BBC

Though it falls into a fairly common category of images of food called “xenia” — offerings for guests — it is not like most of the roughly 300 examples that have been found in Vesuvian cities.

From New York Times

It is believed to have been looted from Herculaneum, a settlement buried in the Vesuvian eruption of 79 A.D., and decades ago was tracked by investigators to the apartment of Michael H. Steinhardt, a prominent New York venture capitalist and a major ancient art collector.

From New York Times

“The study is exciting because it shows that DNA is preserved from the towns buried by the Vesuvian eruption despite high temperatures,” said David Reich, a Harvard geneticist, who was not involved in the research.

From New York Times