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Webster 1913 Edition


Volcano

Vol-ca′no

,
Noun.
;
pl.
Volcanoes
(#)
.
[It.
volcano
,
vulcano
, fr. L.
Vulcanus
Vulkan, the god of fire. See
Vulkan
.]
(Geol.)
A mountain or hill, usually more or less conical in form, from which lava, cinders, steam, sulphur gases, and the like, are ejected; – often popularly called a
burning mountain
.
☞ Volcanoes include many of the most conspicuous and lofty mountains of the earth, as Mt. Vesuvius in Italy (4,000 ft. high), Mt. Loa in Hawaii (14,000 ft.), Cotopaxi in South America (nearly 20,000 ft.), which are examples of active volcanoes. The crater of a volcano is usually a pit-shaped cavity, often of great size. The summit crater of Mt. Loa has a maximum length of 13,000 ft., and a depth of nearly 800 feet. Beside the chief crater, a volcano may have a number of subordinate craters.

Webster 1828 Edition


Volcano

VOLCA'NO

,
Noun.
1.
In geology, an opening in the surface of the earth or in a mountain, from which smoke, flames, stones, lava or other substances are ejected. Such are seen in Etna and Vesuvius in Sicily and Italy, and Hecla in Iceland. It is vulgarly called a burning mountain. Herschel has discovered a volcano in the moon.
2.
The mountain that ejects fire, smoke, &c.

Definition 2024


volcano

volcano

English

Noun

volcano (plural volcanos or volcanoes)

  1. A vent or fissure on the surface of a planet (usually in a mountainous form) with a magma chamber attached to the mantle of a planet or moon, periodically erupting forth lava and volcanic gases onto the surface.

Derived terms

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See also