Dictionary

solfatara en · NOUN

Etymology

From Italian solfatara (“a place where to find sulphates”), from solfato (“sulphate”) + -ara (“suffix that forms place nouns”). More at Italian zolfo (“sulphur”). Itself the name of Solfatara, a volcano near Naples. Compare Sicilian surfatara.

Meanings

1. An area of volcanic activity that gives off sulfurous steam.
   • Holmes calls these active vents solfataras, so evidently we are at the type locality for this kind of thing. 2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society, published 2011, page 24:
   • Under these solfataras, (which, at each eruption from the volcano, emitted greater quantities of hot steams) are several hot wells, close to the high-water mark, which, however, seem not to be in the least sulphureous. 1778, Johann Reinhold Forster, Observations Made During a Voyage Round the World, on Physical Geography, Natural History, and Ethic Philosophy, page 25:
   • Vents that produce steam alone are fumaroles, or solfataras if laden with sulphur; impressive, but rarely exciting, they are more common on drier volcanoes than in hydrothermal basins. 2000, Tony Waltham, “Geyser watching”, in Geology Today, volume 16, number 3, page 97:

Forms

Deriveds

solfataric

Hypernyms

fumarole

Translations (10)

pt enxofreira (area of volcanic activity giving off sulfurous steam) · ro solfatară (area of volcanic activity giving off sulfurous steam) · pt sulfatara (area of volcanic activity giving off sulfurous steam) · de Solfatare (area of volcanic activity giving off sulfurous steam) · it zolfatara (area of volcanic activity giving off sulfurous steam) · nl solfatare (area of volcanic activity giving off sulfurous steam) · fr soufrière (area of volcanic activity giving off sulfurous steam) · ca solfatara (area of volcanic activity giving off sulfurous steam) · id solfatara (area of volcanic activity giving off sulfurous steam) · ru сольфата́ра (area of volcanic activity giving off sulfurous steam)

wikipedia: Solfatara (volcano)