black smoker

noun

: a vent in a geologically active region of the sea floor from which issues superheated water laden with minerals (such as sulfide precipitates)
also : a rock chimney covering such a vent

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web This photo shows a three-foot-high black smoker in an area dubbed the Faulty Towers Complex. Discover Magazine, 29 June 2010 In the acidic water of a black smoker, an uncovered calcium carbonate shell would rapidly dissolve away, leaving behind a naked and vulnerable snail. Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 19 Jan. 2010 According to a nationwide study in the National Center for Biotechnology Information, 80% of black smokers smoked menthol cigarettes. Talis Shelbourne, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 15 May 2020 Currently a pop-up, III Mas dinners take place monthly in his family’s Sherman Oaks backyard, where a big black smoker abuts the bleached balustrade of a grand mansion. Hadley Tomicki, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2019 Over the decades, minorities gravitated to menthol brands such as Newport, Kool and Salem as tobacco companies ran magazine and billboard ads depicting carefree black smokers. Jennifer Maloney And Tom Mcginty, WSJ, 15 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'black smoker.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

1980, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of black smoker was in 1980

Dictionary Entries Near black smoker

Cite this Entry

“Black smoker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/black%20smoker. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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