Main Entry:

la·va

Pronunciation:

\ˈlä-və, ˈla-\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Italian, ultimately from Latin labes fall; akin to Latin labi to slide — more at sleep

Date:

1759

: molten rock that issues from a volcano or from a fissure in the surface of a planet (as earth) or moon ; also : such rock that has cooled and hardened

— la·va·like \-ˌlīk\ adjective