noun / verb
geyser
GYE-zer/ˈɡaɪzər/
A hot spring that periodically shoots water and steam upward.
The geyser shoots water and steam high above its mineral-rimmed basin.
Etymology
Geysir, “the gusher,” named one particular Icelandic hot spring. Foreign writers extended its name to spouting hot springs generally, turning a place-specific name into a type of natural feature.
In context
the largest geyser in the southern hemisphere erupts twice each hour and can reach 30 meters high
More examples
- Visitors wait for the geyser to erupt again.
- Some geysers erupt more regularly than others.
- Hot water geysers from the vent into the air.
Forms
geyser · geysers · geysered · geysering
geothermal adjective — Relating to heat within the earth.
eruption noun — A sudden forceful release of material.
Similar words
- hot spring
- A broader term that does not require periodic eruptions.