Definitions for volcano
vɒlˈkeɪ noʊvol·cano

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:4.7 / 3 votes

1. vent, volcanonoun

   a fissure in the earth's crust (or in the surface of some other planet) through which molten lava and gases erupt

2. volcanonoun

   a mountain formed by volcanic material

WiktionaryRate this definition:3.3 / 6 votes

1. volcanonoun

   A vent or fissure on the surface of a planet (usually in a mountainous form) with a magma chamber attached to the mantle of a planet or moon, periodically erupting forth lava and volcanic gases onto the surface.

2. Etymology: From vulcano, from Vulcanus the Roman god of fire and metalworking. Perhaps related to Greek πῦρ and καίειν

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Volcano

   A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are diverging or converging, and most are found underwater. For example, a mid-ocean ridge, such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, has volcanoes caused by divergent tectonic plates whereas the Pacific Ring of Fire has volcanoes caused by convergent tectonic plates. Volcanoes can also form where there is stretching and thinning of the crust's plates, such as in the East African Rift and the Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field and Rio Grande rift in North America. Volcanism away from plate boundaries has been postulated to arise from upwelling diapirs from the core–mantle boundary, 3,000 kilometers (1,900 mi) deep in the Earth. This results in hotspot volcanism, of which the Hawaiian hotspot is an example. Volcanoes are usually not created where two tectonic plates slide past one another. Large eruptions can affect atmospheric temperature as ash and droplets of sulfuric acid obscure the Sun and cool the Earth's troposphere. Historically, large volcanic eruptions have been followed by volcanic winters which have caused catastrophic famines.Other planets besides Earth have volcanoes. For example, Mercury has pyroclastic deposits formed by explosive volcanic activity.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. Volcanonoun

   a mountain or hill, usually more or less conical in form, from which lava, cinders, steam, sulphur gases, and the like, are ejected; -- often popularly called a burning mountain

2. Etymology: [It. volcano, vulcano, fr. L. Vulcanus Vulkan, the god of fire. See Vulkan.]

FreebaseRate this definition:1.0 / 2 votes

1. Volcano

   A volcano is an opening, or rupture, in a planet's surface or crust, which allows hot magma, volcanic ash and gases to escape from the magma chamber below the surface. Volcanoes are generally found where tectonic plates are diverging or converging. A mid-oceanic ridge, for example the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, has examples of volcanoes caused by divergent tectonic plates pulling apart; the Pacific Ring of Fire has examples of volcanoes caused by convergent tectonic plates coming together. By contrast, volcanoes are usually not created where two tectonic plates slide past one another. Volcanoes can also form where there is stretching and thinning of the Earth's crust in the interiors of plates, e.g., in the East African Rift, the Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field and the Rio Grande Rift in North America. This type of volcanism falls under the umbrella of "Plate hypothesis" volcanism. Volcanism away from plate boundaries has also been explained as mantle plumes. These so-called "hotspots", for example Hawaii, are postulated to arise from upwelling diapirs with magma from the core–mantle boundary, 3,000 km deep in the Earth. Erupting volcanoes can pose many hazards, not only in the immediate vicinity of the eruption. Volcanic ash can be a threat to aircraft, in particular those with jet engines where ash particles can be melted by the high operating temperature; the melted particles then adhere to the turbine blades and alter their shape, disrupting the operation of the turbine. Large eruptions can affect temperature as ash and droplets of sulfuric acid obscure the sun and cool the Earth's lower atmosphere or troposphere; however, they also absorb heat radiated up from the Earth, thereby warming the stratosphere. Historically, so-called volcanic winters have caused catastrophic famines.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Volcano

   vol-kā′no, n. a more or less conical hill or mountain, usually truncated, and communicating with the interior of the earth by a pipe or funnel, through which issue hot vapours and gases, and frequently loose fragmentary materials and streams of molten rock: a form of firework.—adj. Volcan′ic, pertaining to, produced, or affected by a volcano.—adv. Volcan′ically.—n. Volcanisā′tion.—v.t. Vol′canise, to subject to the action of volcanic heat.—ns. Vol′canism, Volcanic′ity, phenomena connected with volcanoes; Vol′canist, a student of volcanic phenomena; Volcan′ity, state of being volcanic; Volcā′noism (rare), violent eruptiveness.—adj. Volcanolog′ical.—n. Volcanol′ogy.—Volcanic rocks, those formed by volcanic agency. [It. volcano—L. Volcanus, Vulcanus, god of fire.]

Dictionary of Nautical TermsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. volcano

   A burning mountain or vent for subterranean fire; also applied to one which vomits only mud and water.

Matched Categories

1. • Fissure
   • Mountain

How to pronounce volcano?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say volcano in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of volcano in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of volcano in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of volcano in a Sentence

1. John Bartley:

   We feel so bad for these people. You don't expect to go on a holiday and not return. We are very adventurous too and we would have definitely gone on that volcano tour. But we had a friend with kids so we decided not to.

2. Joe McConnell:

   To find evidence that a volcano on the other side of the Earth erupted and effectively contributed to the demise of the Romans and the( ancient) Egyptians and the rise of Roman Empire is fascinating, people have been speculating about this for many years, so it's exciting to be able to provide some answers.

3. Charles Mandeville:

   We know the volcano is capable of doing this, we know it is a distinct possibility.

4. Lewis Ashwal:

   Mauritius is a volcano, a young volcano, there is nothing on Mauritius older than nine million years old.

5. Kahlil Gibran:

   Zeal is a volcano, the peak of which the grass of indecisiveness does not grow.

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