Definition of "fumarole" [fu•ma•role]

• A hole in a volcanic area from which hot smoke and gases escape. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Despite the low turnout, however, business was conducted: the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull, which generated by far the most buzz on the show floor, landed a seven-figure deal for a memoir that will cover its early days as a steam-venting fumarole right through to its headline-making eruption."
• "The Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull, which generated by far the most buzz on the show floor, landed a seven-figure deal for a memoir that will cover its early days as a steam-venting fumarole right through to its headline-making eruption."
• "Sandra had us scramble back to the top for another try though the fumarole passage, but again, when we got into the thick of it, we were practically overcome."