lava
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lava¹
- /ˈlɑːvə/ UK
- /ˈlɑvə/ US
- /ˈlɐːvə/ Australia, New Zealand
- /ˈlɑvə/ Canada
- /ˈlævə/ Canada
- /ˈlavə/ Scotland
Sounds like larva (non-rhotic), lather (non-rhotic, th-fronting, trap–bath split) · Rhymes with -ɑːvə, -ævə
Where it comes from
From Italian, from Neapolitan and Sicilian lava (“lava; downpour overflowing the streets”), likely from Latin lābēs (“a fall; a collapse; subsidence”); compare lābīna (“landslide”). A supposed relation with lavare (“to wash”) is now widely discredited, nor is there probably any relation with Arabic لابة (lāba, “black volcanic rock”). Alternatively, the Romance words are connected with Provençal lavo, lauvo (“flat stone”), from a Vulgar Latin source borrowed from a Celtic language such as Gaulish *lawā, but ultimately of obscure origin; see Proto-Celtic *līwos for details.
noun lavas
- The molten rock ejected by a volcano from a vent such as a crater or fissure; magma that has breached the surface of the earth. Marine iguanas line the shores of the islands, and are usually seen sprawled over lava rocks near the sea.
- A body of lava.
- Solidified lava. I leant forward to see him better, and a piece of lava, detached by my hand, went pattering down the slope.
- Magma.
- A shade of red, named after the volcanic lava.
- Hot water.
Lava²
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Sanskrit लव (lava).
proper noun
- One of the twin children of Lord Rāma and his wife Sita in the Ramayana.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: molten, bathe, wash, washer, dragon, flush, clean, washers, clinker, magma, basalt, scoria, pumice, tephra, pyroclast, fat lava
Translations
Every language
noun molten rock
| Español | lava |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 용암 yong'am |
| 日本語 | 溶岩 yōgan |
| 中文 | 熔岩 róngyán |
| हिन्दी | लावा lāvā |
| Kiswahili | lava, zaha |
| Português | lava |
| Français | lave |
| Deutsch | Lava |
| Italiano | lava |
| Ελληνικά | λάβα láva |
| Română | lavă |
| Русский | ла́ва láva |
| Tiếng Việt | dung nham |
| العربية | حُمَم بُرْكَانِيَّة ḥumam burkāniyya, لَابَة lāba |
| עברית | לַבָּה láva |
name son of Shri Rāma and Sita
| हिन्दी | लव lav |
|---|
Talk about this word "lava." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/lava. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. lava. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/lava "lava." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/lava.Cite this
@misc{lava_2026,
title = {lava},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/lava},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
