lava

noun

la·​va ˈlä-və  ˈla- 

: molten rock that issues from a volcano or from a fissure in the surface of a planet (such as earth) or moon

also : such rock that has cooled and hardened

lavalike

ˈlä-və-ˌlīk 

ˈla-

adjective

Examples of lava in a Sentence

a flow of molten lava

Recent Examples on the Web

Even more striking, the course was built directly into black lava beds (officially called ancient basalt rock formations) from an inactive volcano about 20 minutes away. — Scott Kramer, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

There are a lot of action sequences where Moana and Maui have to get themselves out of harrowing situations, including a fairly sizable lava monster that might freak out really little children. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 9 July 2026

As the the dikes reached the seafloor, lava erupted onto the ocean floor, while continuing to drain the magma reservoir, causing the seafloor to collapse further, the researchers told ScienceAlert. — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 9 July 2026

The seafloor dropped about four meters (13 feet), the plates pulled apart by more than one meter (three feet), and up to 160 million cubic meters of lava—the volume of more than 60 Great Pyramids of Giza—erupted onto the seabed. — Sam MacDonald, Scientific American, 8 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1759, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing lava

• lava cake
• lava lamp

Rhymes for lava

• cava
• fava
• flava
• guava
• jahveh
• balaclava
• cassava

Kids Definition

lava

noun

la·​va ˈläv-ə  ˈlav- 

: melted rock coming from a volcano

also : such rock that has cooled and hardened