Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Lava |
LavaNoun1. Rock that in its molten form (as magma) issues from volcanos; lava is what magma is called when it reaches the surface. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "lava" was first used: 1750. (references) |
Etymology: Lava \La"va\, noun. [Italian lava lava, originally in Naples, torrent of rain overflowing the streets, from Italian Latin lavare to wash. See Lave.]. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Computing | LAVA A language for VLSI that deals with "sticks", i.e. wires represented as lines with thickness. ["A Target Language for Silicon Compilers", R.J. Matthews et al, IEEE COMPCON, 1982, pp. 349-353]. (1994-12-07). Source: The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing. |
Chemistry | Hard igneous rock. Source: European Union. (references) |
Geological | The term used for magma once it has erupted onto the Earth's surface. (Teacher's Packet) * Molten rock that erupts from a vent or fissure. (Gardner, et.al., 1995)* See also: Magma. (references) |
| Magma that reaches the Earth's surface through a volcanic eruption. When cooled and solidified, forms extrusive (volcanic) igneous rock. (references) | |
Science | Hot, melted rock (magma) that flows from a volcano. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Lava is molten rock which a volcano expels during an eruption: due to its high temperature, it is quite liquid when it is first exuded from the volcano, but soon solidifies into rock. While it is still below the earth's surface it is called magma.
Lava streams
The most prodigous product of some active volcanos is the streams of lava poured forth — sometimes from vents in a summit crater — sometimes from vents lower down the slope. This lava consists of melted rock. When it issues from the mountain its heat is intense and it glows like a furnace, so that, during the night especially, these fiery rivers present a grand yet awful spectacle. The streams spread themselves till they sometimes attain a breadth of several miles, with a depth of several hundred feet, and they flow onward till their length sometimes reaches fifty miles.
Lava stream bed going away from Double Hole Crater lava pool
larger version. lava tube, largerLava, not being so liquid as water, does not flow so rapidly: nevertheless, when it is careering down the sides of a mountain, or where the slope of the ground is considerable, it advances with great speed. Even when at its hottest, it is somewhat viscid, like treacle, and this viscidness increases as it cools. Hence on a level plain, and at some distance from its source, the lava-stream advances at a leisurely pace. In such circumstances the cooling proceeds so quickly that a crust of considerable thickness is soon formed on the top of the current, and persons who are bold enough may cross the stream by means of this natural bridge. Even where the current continues flowing rapidly, this crust may be formed on its surface; and a man, whose curiosity exceeds his prudence, may stand on the top of it, bore a hole through the crust, and see the lava flowing underneath his feet!
Nothing can resist the progress of the lava-flood; trees, houses, everything yields to its massive assault, The trees take fire before its approach, and when it reaches them they emit a hissing noise almost amounting to a shriek, and then plunging into the molten flood are seen no more. Even the sea cannot withstand the lava-stream, but retires on its approach; so that promontories stretching to a considerable distance from the shore are formed in this manner, when the molten matter hardens into stone.
Cascades and Jets of Lava
The eruptions of lava are sometimes attended by peculiarities which impart to them much additional grandeur. Instances have occurred in which the fiery stream has plunged over a sheer precipice of immense height, so as to produce a glowing cascade exceeding in breadth and perpendicular descent the celebrated Falls of Niagara. In other cases, the lava, instead of at once flowing down the sides of the mountain, has been first thrown up into the air as a fiery fountain several hundred feet in height. This happens when the great crater at the summit of the cone is full of liquid lava but does not overflow. Then, on the formation of an opening in the side of the cone, a good way down, the lava issuing from it is projected upwards to nearly the same height that it occupies in the interior of the crater at the top of the cone. It is hardly possible for the fancy to picture to itself anything so magnificent as such a fountain of liquid fire must be. A simple jet of water of considerable volume, thrown into the air to the height of a hundred feet, is itself a beautiful spectacle. What then must be a huge jet of glowing white lava projected to the height of several hundred feet, and with what an awful thundering sound must it come tumbling to the ground, thence to rush as a roaring torrent down the mountain's side!
Variations in its Consistency - Pumice
Lava, when congealed, differs in its consistency according as it is near the top or near the bottom of the stream. When near the top it is porous, owing to its rapid cooling; when near the bottom it is dense, owing to its slow cooling and the great pressure to which it is subjected. When the lighter superficial lava is brought suddenly into contact with water, as when a lava-stream enters the sea, it becomes still lighter and more porous--forming the well-known substance called pumice, so much used for polishing. It may be regarded as the solidified froth of lava, and is so light that it floats on the surface of water.
Different Sorts of Lava
larger versionThe lavas of different mountains, when cooled and hardened, differ much in their appearance and composition. Among those of Iceland is found the beautiful black volcanic glass named obsidian. It is a good deal used for ornamental purposes; for it possesses the peculiar property of presenting a different appearance according to the manner in which it is cut. When cut in one direction it is of a beautiful jetty black; when cut across that direction it is glistering gray. The lavas of Vesuvius are generally of a brown colour, and are also used in the arts. In them are found the beautiful olive-green crystals of the mineral called olivine, sometimes used by jewellers. But the most useful of all volcanic productions is native sulphur, in which Mount Etna has been very prolific. It is to this mountain chiefly, therefore, that we are indebted for our beautiful fire-works--our squibs, crackers, Roman candles, serpents, Catherine-wheels, and sky-rockets. Would it had produced nothing more harmful than these! But it has also supplied one of the ingredients of that villainous gunpowder, which has been the means of thrusting so many of our fellow-creatures prematurely out of the world. Etna, however, can hardly be held responsible for this unfortunate misuse of the valuable substance which it affords; while even gunpowder itself has, on the whole, been of vast benefit to mankind. Could we only refrain from shooting each other with it, we might regard it as an almost unmixed good; for it has helped us greatly in forming our roads, railways, and tunnels, and in working our quarries and mines.
The three main forms of lava are aa, pillow lava, and pahoehoe.
Solidified lava is known as igneous rock.
See also: Lava tube
Images
Lavacicles in Valentine Cave in Lava Beds National Monument
larger version
Dripstone in Skull Cave
larger version
Lava tree mold near Black Crater
larger version
Lava is also a cossack military formation.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Lava."
| The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted. | |||
| Entry | Source | Expression | Field |
LAVA | Dutch | Latijns-Amerikaanse Vrijhandelsassociatie | Business, Economics |
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |||
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Excretion | Saliva, spittle, rheum; ptyalism, salivation, catarrh; diarrhoea; ejecta, egesta, sputa; excreta; lava; exuviae; (uncleanness). |
Semiliquidity | Jelly, mucilage, gelatin, gluten; carlock, fish glue; ichthyocol, ichthycolla; isinglass; mucus, phlegm, goo; pituite, lava; glair, starch, gluten, albumen, milk, cream, protein; treacle; gum, size, glue (tenacity); wax, beeswax. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Mr. Tall, Dark, and Scary? The living lava lamp (Andromeda; writing credit: John Cranna) So how's the lava bath treating you (Sealab 2021; writing credit: John J. Miller; Adam Reed) Well, don't dig to deep or you might get burnt by the molten lava! (The Cable Guy; writing credit: Lou Holtz Jr.) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Lava Kusa (1963) Liquid Lava (1924) Lava Kusha (1920) Un Volcán de lava de hielo (1994) Lava (1989) | |
Song Titles | Hot Lava (performing artist: Perry Ferrell) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books |
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Theater & Movies | |||
Music |
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High Tech |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | On the border between Chile and the Catamarca province of Argentina lies a vast field of currently dormant volcanoes. Over time, these volcanoes have laid down a crust of magma roughly 2 miles (3.2 km) thick. It is tinged with a patina of various colors that can indicate both the age and mineral content of the original lava flows. Credit: NASA. |  | Lava Cove, Sequam Island Circular volcanic caldera Shore party from C&GS Ship PIONEER. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |
 | Waterfalls behind Lava Cove, Seguam Island. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |  | The end of the road caused by a lava flow across the pavement. Credit: America's Coastlines. |
 | Kilauea lava flows that extend to the sea - relatively new land at this location. Credit: America's Coastlines. |  | Pahoehoe lava flow on Mauna Loa. Note small cinder cone in the distance. Credit: Paths Less Taken - NOAA at the Ends of the Earth. |
 | A view of snow-capped Mauna Kea as seen over an aa lava flow from Mauna Loa. Credit: Paths Less Taken - NOAA at the Ends of the Earth. |  | Gold coral on pillow lava in over 1000 ft. off Hawaii. Gerardia. Credit: National Undersea Research Program (NURP). |
 | Glass sponge between red crinoid stalk and gorgonian on pillow lava off Hawaii. Walteria (sponge), Chrysogorgia (gorgonian). Credit: National Undersea Research Program (NURP). |  | Lava tubes exiting out to Truk Lagoon. Credit: Small World. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
 |  |
| "Lava coast" by Patryk Grellmann Commentary: "Lava coast." | "Lava 2" by Cerys Jones Commentary: "The intention with these was to suggest a hot atmosphere - the colour just yelled it at me at a whimsical moment." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. | |
| Title | Author | Quote |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | All lava begins at midnight |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Economic History | Iceland | About 79% of Iceland's land area, which is of recent volcanic origin, consists of glaciers, lakes, a mountainous lava desert (highest elevation 2,000 meters--6,590 ft. --above sea level), and other wasteland. (references) |
Travel | Ecuador | In the event of a full-scale eruption, geological experts conclude that the city of Quito is protected from possible lava flows, avalanches, and lateral explosions by the bulk of Pichincha Mountain, which stands between the city and the volcano crater. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "Lava" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 97.35% of the time. "Lava" is used about 452 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 97.35% | 440 | 13,128 |
| Noun (proper) | 2.65% | 12 | 101,599 |
| Total | 100.00% | 452 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following table summarizes the usage of "lava" based on a population census conducted in the United States. Ranks and frequencies are based on all names reported and classified. |
| Name | Usage/Gender | Usage per 100 million Persons | Rank in USA |
| Lava | Last name | 130 | 62,504 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits. | |||
| Country | Name |
| USA | Digital Lava Inc. |
| (more examples...) |
Source: compiled by the editor from Icon Group International, Inc.
Expressions using "lava": bed of lava ♦ lava bed ♦ lava cone ♦ Lava Hot Springs ♦ lava lake ♦ Lava millstone ♦ lava pool ♦ Lava ware ♦ pillow lava ♦ stream of lava ♦ subterminal lava flow. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "lava": lava-carved, lava-filled, lava-lake, lava-lava, lava-strewn. | |
Ending with "lava": lava-lava, sub-lava. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day | Expression | Frequency per Day |
lava | 2,319 | lava personals | 28 |
lava life | 1,288 | lava hot springs id | 28 |
lava lamp | 842 | lava volcano | 27 |
lava soft | 140 | lava computer | 26 |
lava hot springs | 138 | lava light | 26 |
lava rock | 118 | lava lava | 25 |
lava lounge | 65 | dating lava | 24 |
lava life.com | 61 | lava software | 22 |
flow lava | 54 | lava love | 20 |
lava record | 53 | lava trading | 18 |
lava hot springs idaho | 52 | chocolate lava cake | 18 |
lava bed national monument | 39 | dome lava nike | 17 |
lava lite | 36 | lava player | 17 |
lamp lava make | 32 | com lava life | 16 |
lava lava tahitian | 31 | lava bed | 16 |
giant lava lamp | 30 | lava picture | 16 |
drink flow lava | 30 | lava tube | 15 |
lamp lava screensaver | 29 | landscaping lava rock | 15 |
lava soap | 29 | lamp lava saver screen | 14 |
lava lifes | 29 | lava single | 14 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Translations for "lava"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Afrikaans | aä-lawa (aa lava, block lava). (various references) | |
Albanian | lavë (dejection), shkëmb lave të ngurtësuar. (various references) | |
Arabic | مقذوفات البراكين, حمم (bath). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | лава (dejection, slag). (various references) | |
Chinese | 熔岩 (LAVAS), 岩漿 . (various references) | |
Czech | láva. (various references) | |
Danish | lava. (various references) | |
Dutch | lava-, lava (LAFTA, Latin American Free Trade Association). (various references) | |
Esperanto | lafo, lafa. (various references) | |
Faeroese | grótbræðing, gosgrýti. (various references) | |
Farsi | موادمذاب اتشفشانی , گدازه , توده گداخته اتشفشانی . (various references) | |
Finnish | laava. (various references) | |
French | lave. (various references) | |
German | Lava. (various references) | |
Greek | λάβα (slag). (various references) | |
Hungarian | láva. (various references) | |
Indonesian | lahar, ladu. (various references) | |
Italian | lava. (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 溶岩 . (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | かざんがん (igneous rock, volcanic rock), ようがん (beautiful face, exquisite countenance, features, looks). (various references) | |
Korean | 용암 (LAVAS). (various references) | |
Manx | leavey. (various references) | |
Papiamen | lava. (various references) | |
Pig Latin | avalay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | lava (clinker). (various references) | |
Romanian | lavã. (various references) | |
Russian | лава. (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | lava, kao lava. (various references) | |
Spanish | lava. (various references) | |
Swedish | lava. (various references) | |
Thai | ลาวา. (various references) | |
Turkish | lav (pozzolana, pozzuolana). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | лава (bank). (various references) | |
Vietnamese | dung nham. (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | labes, lavare. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Language | Date | Source | John Chapter 9, Verse 7 |
| Greek (transliterated) | 250 BC | Septuagint | Kai eipen autw upage niyai eiV thn kolumbhqran tou silwam o ermhneuetai apestalmenoV aphlqen oun kai eniyato kai hlqen blepwn |
| Latin | 405 | Vulgate | Et dixit ei vade lava in natatoria Siloae quod interpretatur Missus abiit ergo et lavit et venit videns |
| Old English | 990 | West Saxon | & cwæð to hym. Ga & þweag þe onsyloes mere. he for & þweah hyne & comge-sond. |
| Middle English | 1395 | Wyclif | And seide to hym, Go, and be thou waisschun in the watir of Siloe, that is to seie, Sent. Thanne he wente, and waisschide, and cam seynge. |
| Renaissance English | 1526 | Tyndale | And sayde vnto him: Goo wesshe the in ye pole of Syloe which by interpretacion signifieth sent. He went his waye and wasshed and cam agayne seinge. |
| Jacobean English | 1611 | King James | And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing. |
| Victorian English | 1833 | Webster | And said to him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went therefore, and washed, and came seeing. |
| Basic English | 1964 | Ogden | And said to him, Go and make yourself clean in the bath of Siloam (the sense of the name is, Sent). So he went away and, after washing, came back able to see. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | John Chapter 9, Verse 7 |
| Croatian | I reèe mu: "Idi, operi se u kupalištu Siloamu!" - što znaèi "Poslanik." Onaj ode, umije se pa se vrati gledajuæi. |
| Finnish | ja sanoi hänelle: "Mene ja peseydy Siiloan lammikossa" - se on käännettynä: lähetetty. - Niin hän meni ja peseytyi ja palasi näkevänä. |
| Indonesian-Terjemahan Lama | sambil berkata kepadanya, "Pergilah engkau basuh di kolam Siloam!" yang diterjemahkan artinya: Suruhan. Maka pergilah ia membasuh, lalu kembalilah ia dengan celik matanya. |
| Maori | Na ka mea ki a ia, haere ki te horoi ki te kaukauranga i Hiroama, ko Tono te whakamaoritanga. Na haere ana ia, horoi ana, a hoki titiro ana mai. |
| Norwegian | og han sa til ham: Gå og vask dig i dammen Siloa, det er utlagt: utsendt. Han gikk da bort og vasket sig, og kom tilbake seende. |
| Russian | Й УЛБЪБМ ЕНХ: РПКДЙ, ХНПКУС Ч ЛХРБМШОЕ уЙМПБН, ЮФП ЪОБЮЙФ: РПУМБООЩК. пО РПЫЕМ Й ХНЩМУС, Й РТЙЫЕМ ЪТСЮЙН. |
| Shuar | Nuyá chichaak "Siruí pajamtai entsanam nijiamauta" Tímiayi. Siruísha nu chichamnum "akupkamu" tawai. Kusurusha we nijiamar pénker iimiar Támiayi. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "lava": lavabo, lavaboes, lavabos, lavage, lavages, lavalava, lavalavas, lavalier, lavaliere, lavalieres, lavaliers, lavalike, lavalliere, lavallieres, lavas, lavation, lavations, lavatories, lavatory. (additional references) | |
Words ending with "lava": baklava, balaclava, lavalava. (additional references) | |
Words containing "lava": baklavas, balaclavas, clavate, flavanol, flavanols, flavanone, flavanones, galavant, galavanted, galavanting, galavants, halavah, halavahs. (additional references) | |
| |
"Lava" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Alvah, alvi, bava, fava, flava, glava, klava, Klavan, klave, klukva, laa, Laaa, laav, laba, lada, laevi, laevo, Lafan, Laga, Laia, Laka, lala, lana, lapa, lara, lasa, laua, lauve, lavad, lavae, laval, lavam, lavan, lavar, lavat, lavay, lavea, lavet, lavi, lavia, lavir, lavo, lavoa, lavra, Lavu, lawa, Laxa, laya, laza, leav, leva, levak, levo, Litva, Litvak, liva, livi, livia, livo, lleva, lomvia, lova, lovay, lovu, lufa, luv, luva, luvva, lvfa, lvi, lvo, lxvii, Olaba, Olavi, pava, Payva, plava, slava, Tavua. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "lava" (pronounced lÄ"vu) |
| 3 | -Ä" v u | Fava, guava, Java. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-a-l-v" | |
-1 letter: aal, ala, ava, lav. | |
-2 letters: aa, al, la. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-a-l-v" | |
+1 letter: arval, avail, halva, larva, lavas, naval, vagal, vasal. | |
+2 letters: avails, avowal, favela, gavial, halvah, halvas, larvae, larval, larvas, lavabo, lavage, saliva, salvia, valuta, valval, valvar, vandal, vassal. | |
+3 letters: alluvia, arrival, availed, avellan, avowals, baklava, calvary, caravel, cavalla, cavally, cavalry, clavate, coaeval, datival, favelas, favella, gavials, gravlax, halavah, halvahs, lavabos, lavages, navally, octaval, ovarial, pahlavi, palaver, pavlova, reavail, salivas, salvage, salvias, savable, travail, vagally, vaginal, valance, valiant, vallate, valonia, valuate, valutas, valvate, valvula, vandals, vanilla, variola, vascula, vassals, vatical, vedalia, velaria. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Crosswords 3. Usage: Modern 4. Usage: Commercial | 5. Images: Slideshow 6. Images: Photo Album 7. Images: Digital Art 8. Quotations: Fiction | 9. Quotations: Non-fiction 10. Usage Frequency 11. Names: Frequency 12. Names: Company Usage | 13. Expressions 14. Expressions: Internet 15. Translations: Modern 16. Translations: Ancient | 17. Bible Trace 18. Abbreviations 19. Acronyms 20. Derivations | 21. Rhymes 22. Anagrams 23. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
