What does geyser mean?
A geyser is a natural hot spring that sends columns of boiling water and steam into the air through a narrow ground vent. The best-known examples occur in geothermal areas such as those in Yellowstone National Park, where Old Faithful is among the world's most famous geysers. The word is usually a noun, but it can also function as a verb describing a forceful eruption: a burst pipe may geyser water, and a surface may geyser steam. In figurative use, the verb can suggest something emerging suddenly and with great force. Geysers are formed when groundwater is heated underground and confined beneath cooler rock and mineral deposits, allowing pressure to build until the water escapes through fractures. The term is memorable both for the spectacle of a geyser in action and for its Icelandic origin.
A hot spring or ground vent that ejects boiling water and steam, usually in intermittent or continuous jets.
"The valley contains more than a hundred geysers and hot springs."
To erupt or shoot out forcefully, especially in a jet of water or steam.
"Steam began to geyser through the cracked vent."
The standard plural is geysers, referring to individual features, a group of features, or separate eruptions.
"Several geysers erupted across the geothermal field."
The word geyser comes from an Icelandic hot spring whose name means “gusher,” giving one of nature’s most dramatic displays its common label.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does geyser come from?
The English word comes from Icelandic Geysir, the name of a celebrated hot spring in southwestern Iceland. Geysir was derived from the Icelandic verb geysa, meaning “to gush,” which belongs to a Germanic word family associated with a forceful surge; English gush and its derivatives are traditionally treated as related forms. Icelandic Geysir was a proper name, while English later adopted the lowercase common noun geyser for similar natural features.
How geyser is actually used
As a noun, geyser is chiefly a geographical term for a specific type of hot spring. As a verb, it is less common and can describe a forceful eruption or, figuratively, an abrupt outward surge.
Easily confused with geyser
Geyser is the usual spelling, while guyser is an alternate spelling rather than a word with a different meaning.