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
Melissa Jun Rowley, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
The proliferation of energy sources, including solar, wind, geothermal and nuclear, creates a decentralized model of energy production.
—Diana Olick, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2025
After a geothermal water line broke Wednesday afternoon, the City of Boise closed Capitol Boulevard between Myrtle Street and Broad Street and closed two Myrtle Street lanes.
—Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 27 Sep. 2025
Mining and geothermal operations release wastewater containing valuable elements such as cobalt, but current extraction methods are too costly.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 24 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Geothermal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/geothermal. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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geothermal
adjective
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