tephra

American  

[tef-ruh] / ˈtɛf rə /

noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. clastic volcanic material, as scoria, dust, etc., ejected during an eruption.

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tephra British  

/ ˈtɛfrə /

noun

1. solid matter ejected during a volcanic eruption

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tephra Scientific  

/ tĕf′rə /

1. Solid matter, such as ash, dust, and cinders, that is ejected into the air by an erupting volcano. Tephra is a general term for all pyroclastic materials ejected from a volcano.

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Etymology

Origin of tephra

First recorded in 1960–65, tephra is from the Greek word téphra (singular) ashes

Example Sentences

Roman concrete consisted of a mixture of a white powder known as slaked lime, small particles and rock fragments called tephra ejected by volcanic eruptions, and water.

From Science Magazine • Jan. 5, 2023

Traces of tephra recall the 1815 eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Tambora, which cast a pall of bleak weather over Europe.

From Washington Post • Apr. 7, 2021

“The tephra match doesn’t get any better,” tephra specialist Gill Plunkett, Ph.D. from Queen’s University Belfast added.

From Fox News • Jun. 23, 2020

It ejected more than 250m cubic metres of tephra, creating an ash cloud that rose to five miles in height and caused the grounding of most flights within European air space.

From The Guardian • Apr. 20, 2019

The largest has curdled into a pillar like the cloud of tephra and ash and steam that billows atop an erupting volcano.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr