volcano
[ vol-key-noh ]
/ vɒlˈkeɪ noʊ /
Save This Word!
noun, plural vol·ca·noes, vol·ca·nos.
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.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
Origin of volcano
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use volcano in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for volcano
volcano
/ (vɒlˈkeɪnəʊ) /
noun plural -noes or -nos
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
Word Origin for volcano
C17: from Italian, from Latin Volcānus Vulcan 1, whose forges were believed to be responsible for volcanic rumblings
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
Scientific definitions for volcano
volcano
[ vŏl-kā′nō ]
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for volcano
volcano
A cone-shaped mountain or hill created by molten material that rises from the interior of the Earth to the surface.
notes for volcano
Volcanoes tend to occur along the edges of tectonic plates.
notes for volcano
Eruptions and lava flows associated with them can be very destructive. (See Mount Saint Helens and Mount Vesuvius.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.