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View synonyms for lava

lava

[ lah-vuh, lav-uh ]

noun

  1. the molten, fluid rock that issues from a volcano or volcanic vent.
  2. the rock formed when this solidifies, occurring in many varieties differing greatly in structure and constitution.


lava

/ ˈlɑːvə /

noun

  1. magma emanating from volcanoes and other vents
  2. any extrusive igneous rock formed by the cooling and solidification of molten lava


lava

/ /

  1. Molten rock that flows from a volcano or from a crack in the Earth. Most lava flows at a rate of a few kilometers per hour, but rates as high as 60 km (37 mi) per hour have been observed. Lava that contains abundant iron- and magnesium-rich components usually erupts with temperatures between 1,000°C and 1,200°C (1,832deg;F and 2,192°F). Lava that contains abundant silica- and feldspar-rich components usually erupts with temperatures between 800°C and 1,000°C (1,472deg;F and 1,832°F).
  2. Compare magma
  3. The igneous rock formed when this substance cools and hardens. Depending on its composition and the rate at which it cools, lava can be glassy, very finely grained, ropelike, or coarsely grained. When it cools underwater, it cools in pillow-shaped masses.
  4. See also aa


lava

  1. A type of igneous rock that is formed when molten magma from a volcano hardens.


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Word History and Origins

Origin of lava1

1740–50; < Italian, originally Neapolitan dialect: avalanche < Latin lābēs a sliding down, falling, akin to lābī to slide

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Word History and Origins

Origin of lava1

C18: from Italian (Neapolitan dialect), from Latin lavāre to wash

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Example Sentences

Volcanoes spewed lava and ash, ocean floors were thrust upward, sand and rock and shale settled into slurry.

Underneath, however, lies the permanently molten lava of Scottish memory and its sense of English repression.

Lava and ash fell for days; the sun was obliterated for three months.

It also has one of the tallest mountain ranges on the continent and the largest lava lake on Earth.

No longer would they have crazy adventures like campus-wide paintball and lava matches.

Torrents of lava poured over the sides of the volcano and destroyed whole villages on the shores of the lake.

He trudged across burning lava on which his feet left their imprint; he had the appearance of a desperately dogged traveller.

Here there are many craters and much basalt, or even lava; also hot springs.

South of this arid region, strewn with great lava stones, are the Rendile uplands, affording pasturage for thousands of camels.

From these fissures immense and repeated flows of lava spread over the Kapte and Laikipia plateaus.

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