English Explanatory Dictionary

geyser

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A boiling natural spring which throws forth jets of water, mud, etc., at frequent intervals, driven upwards by the expansive power of steam.
  2. A momentary vertical jet or fountain of fluid driven upwards by a violent force.
  3. An instantaneous, and often dangerous, hot water heater.
  4. A domestic water boiler.
verb
  1. To (cause to) rush or burst upward like water from a geyser.

Pronunciation

/ˈɡiː.zə/ /ˈɡaɪ.zə/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-geyser.wav LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-geyser2.wav /ˈɡaɪ.zɚ/ /ˈɡaɪ.sɚ/

Word forms

geyser geysers geysering geysered

Etymology

From the name of a particular Icelandic geyser which is mentioned as early as the 1760s in The Annual Register, as “Geyser, a wonderful spring in the valley of Haukadal”. From Geysir (“Gusher”), the Icelandic name of the hot spring in Iceland (see Wikipedia), from the verb geysa (“to gush”), from Old Norse geysa (“to gush”). Doublet of gusher.

Synonyms

hot spring thermae

Related words

geezer

Derived words

geyseral geyseric geyserish geyserite geyserlike geysery red geyser red geyser galaxy
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