lava

Where does the word "lava" come from? It comes from Latin lavāre, passing through Neapolitan before entering English (1750s).

Lava’s story begins in Latin: lavāre meant “to wash.” To wash. By 1600s, the word had taken hold in Neapolitan as lava. A stream of water after heavy rain, then the burning streams of Vesuvius; the physician Francesco Serao used it in his 1737 account of an eruption. It reached English by 1750s as lava. Borrowed through reports on Vesuvius. Today, lava means molten rock from a volcano.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient lavāre "to wash", to wash.
2. Stage 2 · Neapolitan · 1600s lava "torrent; lava", a stream of water after heavy rain, then the burning streams of Vesuvius; the physician Francesco Serao used it in his 1737 account of an eruption.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1750s lava "molten rock", borrowed through reports on Vesuvius.