ENGLISH
REFERENCE

volcano

n. countable
A2 Elementary US //vɑɫˈkeɪnoʊ// UK //vɒlkˈeɪnəʊ// vol·cano

n. a mountain with a hole at the top where hot liquid rock and gas can come out. When it is active, it can explode or let lava flow down its sides.

n. a vent in the earth's crust through which lava, steam, and ashes are expelled, either continuously or at irregular intervals. Often takes the form of a conical mountain formed by the accumulation of ejected material.


SIMPLE

The volcano erupted and sent ash into the sky.

CONTEXTUAL

Scientists monitored the volcano for weeks before the lava finally began to flow toward the abandoned village.

COMPLEX

The dormant volcano, once a source of terror for ancient civilizations, now serves as a fertile site for local vineyards due to the mineral-rich soil left by prehistoric eruptions.

Synonyms
Origin

From Italian vulcano, from Vulcano (“a small volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea”), from Latin Vulcānus (“Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and metalworking”). Doublet of bolcane and Vulcan.

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