geothermal
adjective
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Geothermal comes partly from the Greek thermos, "hot". Most geothermal electricity is provided by power plants situated in areas where there is significant activity of the Earth's great tectonic plates—often the same areas where volcanoes are found. But hot water from deep underground may be used by cities far from volcanoes to heat buildings or sidewalks. And a newer source of geothermal energy relies on a less dramatic kind of heat: Individual homeowners can now install heat pumps that take advantage of the 50°-60° temperature of the soil near the surface to provide heating in cold weather (and air-conditioning in the warm months). These very small-scale geothermal systems may eventually supply more useful energy than the large power plants.
Examples of geothermal in a Sentence
Andrew Schaap, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
The geothermal work is budgeted separately from Project 2, which is expected to cost nearly $102 million.
—Bob Skolnik, Chicago Tribune, 24 June 2025
Traditional geothermal energy relies on finding steam-bearing resources and drilling into them vertically to capture the steam heat.
—Jeff Young, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 June 2025
Lee posted on the social platform X. Language released Monday by the Senate Finance Committee would extend tax credits for hydropower, nuclear and geothermal energy into the 2030s.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 20 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Geothermal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/geothermal. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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geothermal
adjective
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