volcano

noun

vol·​ca·​no väl-ˈkā-(ˌ)nō 

vȯl-

plural volcanoes or volcanos

1

: a vent in the crust of the earth or another planet or a moon from which usually molten or hot rock and steam issue

also : a hill or mountain composed wholly or in part of the ejected material

2

: something of explosively violent potential

Illustration of volcano

• 1 cinder cone
• 2 shield volcano
• 3 stratovolcano

Synonyms

• flash point
• powder keg
• time bomb
• tinderbox

Examples of volcano in a Sentence

The volcano last erupted 25 years ago.

after months of tension the roommates' living situation was a volcano

Recent Examples on the Web

The device picks up sounds in the ocean, whether from underwater volcanoes, earthquakes, ships, or marine creatures. —Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 14 Apr. 2024

An experienced climber was found dead on Saturday inside the crater of Mount St. Helens, a volcano in Washington state that draws hikers, skiers and snowboarders year-round. —Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2024

Sit back and admire your beautiful color-explosion volcano eggs while biting the head off a chocolate bunny. —Annie Colbert, Popular Science, 27 Mar. 2024

One scenario is that volcanoes release chemical compounds called phosphides, which could react with sulfur dioxide in Venus’ atmosphere to form phosphine — a plausible explanation given that scientists have found evidence of active volcanism on our twin planet. —Elise Cutts, Quanta Magazine, 19 Mar. 2024

As faults and fractures formed in the volcano, lava rose, causing thermal erosion and, ultimately, the collapse of swaths of the volcano. —Isaac Schultz / Gizmodo, Quartz, 18 Mar. 2024

The dreams and reality seemed to blend together — as if one horrible night was playing on an endless loop — never ending, never beginning again, just always there, the pressure building like a volcano deep within. —Jeff Seidel, USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2024

The town's residents have been evacuated since November after the quick succession of erupting volcanoes. —Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 16 Mar. 2024

Bukele has also sketched plans for a tax-free crypto haven powered by geothermal energy from a volcano. —Reuters, NBC News, 15 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Italian or Spanish; Italian vulcano, from Spanish volcán, ultimately from Latin Volcanus Vulcan

First Known Use

1665, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing volcano

• shield volcano

Kids Definition

volcano

noun

vol·​ca·​no väl-ˈkā-nō 

vȯl-

plural volcanoes or volcanos

: a vent in the earth's crust from which melted or hot rock and steam come out

also : a hill or mountain composed entirely or in part of the material thrown out

Etymology

from Italian or Spanish; Italian vulcano "volcano," from Spanish vulcán, from Latin Volcanus, Vulcanus "Vulcan (Roman god of fire)"

Word Origin

The ancient Greeks and Romans had many gods and goddesses. Each of these deities was in charge of a special kind of work or an aspect of nature. Many of the happenings in nature were explained in myth as the actions of one or more of these gods or goddesses. The Roman god of fire was known as Vulcanus in Latin (Vulcan in English). He was thought to live inside Mount Etna, a volcano on the island of Sicily. Vulcan was a giant who worked as a blacksmith, forging the thunderbolts for Jupiter, king of the gods. The smoke and occasional fiery rocks and lava that came from Mount Etna were thought to be from Vulcan's forge. That is how his name came to be applied to a mountain that sometimes spews forth fire and smoke.