/ ˈlɑːvə; NAmE / noun [ U ]
1.
hot liquid rock that comes out of a volcano :
molten lava
2.
this type of rock when it has cooled and become hard
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 18th cent.: from Italian ( Neapolitan dialect ), denoting the lava stream from Vesuvius (an active volcano near Naples in Italy), but originally denoting a stream caused by sudden rain, from lavare to wash, from Latin .