nuée ardente

[ French ny-ey ar-dahnt ]

noun

, Geology.

, plural nu·ées ar·dentes [n, y, -ey z, a, r, -, dahnt].

1. (in a volcanic eruption) a swiftly flowing, dense cloud of hot gases, ashes, and lava fragments.

nuée ardente

/ ˈnyeɪ ɑːˈdɑ̃t /

noun

1. a rapidly moving turbulent incandescent cloud of gas, ash, and rock fragments flowing close to the ground after violent ejection from a volcano See also ignimbrite

nuée ardente

/ no̅o̅-ā′ăr-dänt′ /

, Plural nuées ardentes no̅o̅-āz′ăr-dänt′

1. A fast moving gaseous cloud of hot ashes and other material thrown out from an erupting volcano. Nuées ardentes are often incandescent.

Word History and Origins

Origin of nuée ardente¹

1900–05; < French: literally, burning cloud

Word History and Origins

Origin of nuée ardente¹

C20: from French, literally: burning cloud

Example Sentences

Watching it, realizing it would plow right through the river valley between them and the mountain, Catherine thought of two words: “nuée ardente,” glowing cloud.

From Scientific American

So we fled… Nuee ardente from west, Mount St. Helens.

From Scientific American

“Nuée ardente” immediately came to mind as it became obvious nothing would stop it – not even the deep river valley that lay between us and the mountain.

From Scientific American

A “nueé ardente”, today referred as pyroclastic density current, is a mixture of volcanic particles and hot gases that flows according to its density over long distances.

From Scientific American