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Definition of 'lava'

Word Frequency

lava

(lɑːvə )

Word forms: plural lavas

variable noun

Lava is the very hot liquid rock that comes out of a volcano.

COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

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lava

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Word Frequency

lava in British English

(ˈlɑːvə )

noun

1.

magma emanating from volcanoes and other vents

2.

any extrusive igneous rock formed by the cooling and solidification of molten lava

Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

Word origin

C18: from Italian (Neapolitan dialect), from Latin lavāre to wash

Word Frequency

lava in American English

(ˈlɑvə ; ˈlævə )

noun

1.

melted rock issuing from a volcano

2.

such rock when solidified by cooling

Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

Word origin

It < dial. (Neapolitan) lave < L labes, a fall, subsidence < labi, to slide < IE base *lāb-, to hang down > lap1, lip

Word Frequency

lava in American English

(ˈlɑːvə, ˈlævə)

noun

1.

the molten, fluid rock that issues from a volcano or volcanic vent

2.

the rock formed when this solidifies, occurring in many varieties differing greatly in structure and constitution

Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019 by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

Word origin

[1740–50; ‹ It, orig. Neapolitan dial.: avalanche ‹ L lābēs a sliding down, falling, akin to lābī to slide]

Examples of 'lava' in a sentence
lava

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…

We could see the glowing lava flowing down the mountain through the night. Days out include whale watching and horse riding on lava fields.What do you think is in the bubbles that are rising up in the lava lamp? Stopping lava flow has stumped governments across the world. Banana plantations and forests give way to volcanic cones and lava fields.The lava lamp contents should not be drunk. Rivers of lava flowed down the flanks of the volcano.Part of growing is learning how to channel what lava flows inside.It was emitting jets of hot lava up to 200 metres high.There are flying angels, groovy ghosts and hair that glows like a lava lamp.

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Word lists with
lava

rock

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Question: 1

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Score: 0 / 5

Which type of rock am I?

a brown carbonaceous sedimentary rock with woody texture that consists of accumulated layers of partially decomposed vegetation: used as a fuel. Fixed carbon content: 46–60 per cent; calorific value: 1.28 × 107 to 1.93 × 107 J/kg (5500 to 8300 Btu/lb)

anthracite coal lignite

Which type of rock am I?

a hard jet-black coal that burns slowly with a nonluminous flame giving out intense heat. Fixed carbon content: 86–98 per cent; calorific value: 3.14 × 107–3.63 × 107 J/kg

anthracite coal lignite

Which type of rock am I?

any metamorphic rock that can be split into thin layers because its micaceous minerals have become aligned in thin parallel bands

gneiss schist slate

Which type of rock am I?

a dark coarse-grained igneous plutonic rock consisting of plagioclase feldspar and ferromagnesian minerals such as hornblende

diorite granite monzonite

Which type of rock am I?

any coarse-grained sedimentary rock consisting of rounded fragments of rock embedded in a finer matrix

breccia chalk conglomerate

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lava

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In other languages
lava

British English: lava /ˈlɑːvə/ NOUN

Lava is the very hot liquid rock that comes out of a volcano.

... the lava and ash from the volcano.

American English: lava
Arabic: حِمَمٌ بُرْكَانِيَّةٌ
Brazilian Portuguese: lava
Chinese: 熔岩
Croatian: lava
Czech: láva
Danish: lava
Dutch: lava
European Spanish: lava
Finnish: laava
French: lave
German: Lava
Greek: λάβα
Italian: lava
Japanese: 溶岩
Korean: 용암
Norwegian: lava
Polish: lawa
European Portuguese: lava
Romanian: lavă
Russian: лава
Latin American Spanish: lava
Swedish: lava
Thai: หินลาวา
Turkish: lav
Ukrainian: лава
Vietnamese: nham thạch

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Nearby words of
lava

Related terms of
lava

Source

Definition of lava from the Collins English Dictionary

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Quick word challenge

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Question: 1

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lead or led?

Which version is correct?

The water flowed through old-fashioned lead pipes. The water flowed through old-fashioned led pipes.

pail or pale?

Which version is correct?

Ben put the pail down beside the vet. Ben put the pale down beside the vet.

larva or lava?

Drag the correct answer into the box.

lava

larva

Rivers of flowed down the volcano.

weather or whether?

Drag the correct answer into the box.

weather

whether

Fishing is possible in virtually any .

flew or flu?

Which version is correct?

Both of us had come down with the flew. Both of us had come down with the flu.

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Jan 06, 2021

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Scrabble score
for 'lava':
7

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Question: 1

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Score: 0 / 5

chord or cord?

Which version is correct?

The door had been tied shut with a length of nylon chord. The door had been tied shut with a length of nylon cord.

leak or leek?

Which version is correct?

Add the diced onion, carrot and leak. Add the diced onion, carrot and leek.

dual or duel?

Which version is correct?

He was killed in a dual during the Civil War. He was killed in a duel during the Civil War.

earn or urn?

Drag the correct answer into the box.

urn

earn

She's sitting over next to the tea .

knew or new?

Which version is correct?

Her classmates knew nothing about her. Her classmates new nothing about her.

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