lava
nouncommon in dialogue
- United Kingdom//ˈlɑːvə//
- United States//ˈlɑvə//
- Canada//ˈlɑvə//
- Canada//ˈlævə//
- Australia//ˈlɐːvə//
The molten rock ejected by a volcano from a vent such as a crater or fissure; magma that has breached the surface of the earth.
noun
- 1
The molten rock ejected by a volcano from a vent such as a crater or fissure; magma that has breached the surface of the earth.
Marine iguanas line the shores of the islands, and are usually seen sprawled over lava rocks near the sea.
- 2
A body of lava.
- 3
datedSolidified lava.
I leant forward to see him better, and a piece of lava, detached by my hand, went pattering down the slope.
- 4
informalMagma.
- 5
A shade of red, named after the volcanic lava.
- 6
figurativeHot water.
Etymology
From Italian, from Neapolitan and Sicilian lava (“lava; downpour overflowing the streets”), likely from Latin lābēs (“a fall; a collapse; subsidence”); compare lābīna (“landslide”). A supposed relation with lavare (“to wash”) is now widely discredited, nor is there probably any relation with Arabic لابة (lāba, “black volcanic rock”). Alternatively, the Romance words are connected with Provençal lavo, lauvo (“flat stone”), from a Vulgar Latin source borrowed from a Celtic language such as Gaulish *lawā, but ultimately of obscure origin; see Proto-Celtic *līwos for details.
Forms
- plural
- lavas
lava · The molten rock ejected by a volcano from a vent such as a crater or fissure; magma that has breached the surface of the earth.
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