DictionaryRoot: lava
Italian

lava

torrent; stream

1 / 1
A glowing stream of molten lava emerges from a volcanic crater and flows down its rocky outer slope, with dark cooling crust broken by orange-red molten channels.
noun

lava

LAH-vuh/ˈlɑːvə/

Molten or solidified rock that has reached the surface from a volcano.

Etymology

Italian lava first described flash-flood streams after heavy rain, then streams of molten rock from Vesuvius. The shared image is a flowing torrent.

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