Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

lava

/ˈlɑvə/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.73 in modern English

Syllables
la-va
IPA
/ˈlɑvə/
7
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
2
Syllables
3
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

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.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A body of lava.

Countable

noun

Solidified lava.

Countable; Dated; Uncountable

noun

Magma.

Countable; Informal; Uncountable

noun

A shade of red, named after the volcanic lava.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Hot water.

Colloquial; Countable; Uncountable

name

One of the twin children of Lord Rāma and his wife Sita in the Ramayana.

Example Sentences

Etymology

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.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: -, lava, lābēs, *lawā, *līwos

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈlɑvə/
  • British English: /ˈlɑːvə/

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Geology.

Inflected Forms

lavas (plural)

Derived Forms

lavacast lavacicle lavafall lavaform lavaless lavalike lavaproof lavascape lavatic lavic laze

Phrases

fat lava hot lava lava bear lava bomb lava bread lava cake lava cast lava cone

Frequently Paired Words

aa lavalava pahoehoe

Homonyms

larva (non-rhotic) lather (non-rhotic, th-fronting, trap–bath split)

Rhymes With

java cava guava nava sava srivastava slava fava lacava rubalcava votava ava

Questions

How do you pronounce lava?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈlɑvə/.
What does lava mean?
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.
Where does lava come from?
It is traced to Italian.

How to pronounce lava

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “lava”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈlɑvə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “lava”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “lava” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.