volcano
Americannoun
plural
volcanoes, volcanos-
a vent in the earth's crust through which lava, steam, ashes, etc., are expelled, either continuously or at irregular intervals.
-
a mountain or hill, usually having a cuplike crater at the summit, formed around such a vent from the ash and lava expelled through it.
noun
-
an opening in the earth's crust from which molten lava, rock fragments, ashes, dust, and gases are ejected from below the earth's surface
-
a mountain formed from volcanic material ejected from a vent in a central crater
-
An opening in the Earth's crust from which lava, ash, and hot gases flow or are ejected during an eruption.
-
A usually cone-shaped mountain formed by the materials issuing from such an opening. Volcanoes are usually associated with plate boundaries but can also occur within the interior areas of a tectonic plate. Their shape is directly related to the type of magma that flows from them—the more viscous the magma, the steeper the sides of the volcano.
-
◆ A volcano composed of gently sloping sheets of basaltic lava from successive volcanic eruptions is called a shield volcano. The lava flows associated with shield volcanos, such as Mauna Loa, on Hawaii, are very fluid.
-
◆ A volcano composed of steep, alternating layers of lava and pyroclastic materials, including ash, is called a stratovolcano. Stratovolcanos are associated with relatively viscous lava and with explosive eruptions. They are the most common form of large continental volcanos. Mount Vesuvius, Mount Fuji, and Mount St. Helens are stratovolcanos.
-
Also called composite volcano
-
See more at hot spot island arc tectonic boundary volcanic arc
Discover More
Volcanoes tend to occur along the edges of tectonic plates.
Eruptions and lava flows associated with them can be very destructive. (See Mount Saint Helens and Mount Vesuvius.)
Etymology
Origin of volcano
1605–15; < Italian < Latin Volcānus, variant of Vulcānus Vulcan
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Nim’s breath came in jagged chunks; she was so hot she thought flames might spurt out of her head like her own miniature volcano.
From Literature
By combining data from land based seismic stations and ocean floor instruments installed at the underwater volcano Kolumbo, located 7 km from Santorini, the team reconstructed what was happening deep below the surface.
From Science Daily
He filmed himself hiking up volcanoes in Mexico and captured the effects of climate change.
From BBC
After reading circle they worked on their volcano projects, which Bat had not been looking forward to.
From Literature
Before he could finish, his stomach began making a noise like an erupting volcano.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
