volcano

IPA/vɒlˈkeɪnəʊ/
KK[vɑlkˈeno]IPA/vɑːlˈkeɪnəʊ/

volcano — noun

  • volcanosingular
  • volcanoesplural

1. a mountain or hill with an opening in the earth's surface. Very hot liquid rock

1.nounB1
Definition

a mountain or hill with an opening in the earth's surface. Very hot liquid rock (called magma underground and lava on the surface), together with ash and gases, can rise from deep inside the earth and shoot out through this opening.

Example

Mount Fuji in Japan is a volcano that has not erupted since 1707.

collocation: active volcano / dormant volcano

Hot ash from the volcano buried the ancient Roman city of Pompeii.

Common collocations
  • active volcano
  • dormant volcano
  • extinct volcano
  • volcano erupts
  • volcanic eruption
  • underwater volcano
  • erupting volcano
  • the mouth of the volcano

Grammar Patterns

a/the + volcano

volcano + verb (erupts/formed)

Usage Note

Volcanoes are often described by their activity level: an active volcano has erupted in recorded history; a dormant volcano has not erupted for a long time but could again; an extinct volcano will never erupt again. A figurative use — for example, 'a political volcano' or 'a volcano of emotion' — describes a situation that is unstable and could suddenly become dangerous or violent. This figurative meaning is common in journalism and literature but is not treated as a separate dictionary sense.

Common Mistakes

The volcano magma is very hot underground.
The magma inside the volcano is very hot.
Magma is the term for hot liquid rock below the surface; once it comes out of the volcano it is called lava.
Taipei 101 is a tall volcano.
Taipei 101 is a tall building.
A volcano is a natural landform formed by eruptions, not a man-made structure.

Word family

  • volcanic
    adjectiveB2
  • volcanically
    adverbC1
  • volcanologist
    nounC1

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • active volcano
  • dormant volcano
  • extinct volcano
  • volcano erupts

Prepositions

  • from a volcano
  • inside a volcano
  • at the volcano

Etymology

LatinItalianEnglish

The word 'volcano' comes from the name of Vulcan (Latin: Volcanus), the Roman god of fire and metalworking. Ancient Romans believed that Mount Etna's smoke and flames came from Vulcan's workshop beneath the mountain. Italian 'vulcano' and Spanish 'volcán' carried this idea into the languages of Europe. English adopted 'volcano' in the early 1600s from Italian explorers and writers who used the word for the mountains they saw erupting in the Mediterranean.