geyser

[gahy-zer, -ser for 1, 3; gee-zer for 2] /ˈgaɪ zər, -sər for 1, 3; ˈgi zər for 2/
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)
3.
to spew forth as or like a geyser:
the kettle geysering all over the stove.
Origin
1755-65; < Icelandic Geysir name of a hot spring in Iceland, literally, gusher, derivative of geysa to gush
Related forms
geyseral, geyseric, adjective
Can be confused
caldera, fumarole, geyser, volcano.
Examples from the web for geyser
  • Interactive tools allow kids to trigger a geyser eruption and dive into a hot spring to learn why the water boils and steams.
  • Earthquakes, rock slides, and steam explosions from geyser basins are all possible.
  • Start with a visit to the park's mega-celebrity geyser and end with wildlife watching at dusk more.
  • It shoots a geyser of carbonated water high into the air.
  • One turned into a geyser and the other stopped dispersing water evenly.
  • Dancing houses wearing skirts, gorillas riding geyser squirts.
  • He folded back the hood and a geyser of white steam shot up with a hiss.
  • One humpback breaches and crashes back, sending up an astonishing geyser of spray and foam.
  • There was a momentary geyser of funny clothes, odd hairstyles, and flopping tattooed limbs.
  • We went up into the big geyser region with the big sleighs, each drawn by four horses.
British Dictionary definitions for geyser

geyser

/ˈɡiːzə; US ˈɡaɪzər/
noun
1.
a spring that discharges steam and hot water
2.
(Brit) a domestic gas water heater
Word Origin
C18: from Icelandic Geysir, from Old Norse geysa to gush
Word Origin and History for geyser
n.

1780, from Icelandic Geysir, name of a hot spring in the valley of Haukadal, literally "the gusher," from Old Norse geysa "to gush," from Proto-Germanic *gausjan, from PIE *gheus-, from root *gheu- "to pour" (see found (v.2)).

geyser in Science
geyser
  (gī'zər)   
A natural hot spring that regularly ejects a spray of steam and boiling water into the air.