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volitive
Völkerwanderung
Volkslied
volley
volleyball
volplane
vols.
Volsci
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volsella forceps
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volcano

vol·ca·no [ vol káynō ] (plural vol·ca·noes or vol·ca·nos)


noun 
Definition:
 
1. opening in Earth's crust: a naturally occurring opening in the surface of the Earth through which molten, gaseous, and solid material is ejected

2. mountain: a mountain created by the deposition and accumulation of materials ejected from a vent in a central crater

[Early 17th century. Via Italian< Latin Volcanus, Vulcanus "Vulcan"]

Cultural Note

Under the Volcano, a novel (1947) by British writer Malcolm Lowry. Set in Mexico on the annual Day of the Dead, it describes the last hours of British consul Geoffrey Firman, who, depressed by the failure of his marriage and the onset of war, slowly drinks himself to death. A harrowing psychological study, it can also be read as an allegory of the disintegration of Western values.

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