geyser

[ gahy-zer, -ser gee-zer ]

noun

1. a hot spring that intermittently sends up fountainlike jets of water and steam into the air.
2. British Informal. a hot-water heater, as for a bath.

verb (used without object)

1. to spew forth as or like a geyser:

   the kettle geysering all over the stove.

geyser

/ ˈɡiːzə; ˈɡaɪzər /

noun

1. a spring that discharges steam and hot water
2. a domestic gas water heater

geyser

/ gī′zər /

1. A natural hot spring that regularly ejects a spray of steam and boiling water into the air.

Other Words From

• geyser·al geyser·ic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of geyser¹

1755–65; < Icelandic Geysir name of a hot spring in Iceland, literally, gusher, derivative of geysa to gush

Word History and Origins

Origin of geyser¹

C18: from Icelandic Geysir, from Old Norse geysa to gush

Example Sentences

Observations from Earth and orbiting probes suggest that some of this water works through fissures in the ice and blasts through in geysers over a hundred miles high.

From Los Angeles Times

An unusually large eruption of a geyser at Yellowstone National Park’s Biscuit Basin occurred Tuesday, sending parkgoers running for cover.

From Los Angeles Times

After a few seconds I was hit full force by an 8-foot-tall geyser, and there wasn’t any lever on the pump that reduced the force.

From Los Angeles Times

The service closed the area, a few miles from the Old Faithful geyser.

From BBC

A violent hydrothermal explosion at Yellowstone National Park sent visitors fleeing Tuesday as mud and debris erupted from a geyser just north of Old Faithful, according to park rangers.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• gusher
• hot spring