Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

solfatara

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.11 in modern English

Syllables: sol-fa-tara
IPA

12

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An area of volcanic activity that gives off sulfurous steam.

Example Sentences

"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."
"Holmes calls these active vents solfataras, so evidently we are at the type locality for this kind of thing."
"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."

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.

Inflected Forms

solfataras (plural) solfatare (plural)

Derived Forms

solfataric

Questions

What does solfatara mean?: An area of volcanic activity that gives off sulfurous steam.
Where does solfatara come from?: 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.

How to pronounce solfatara

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