crater

Meaning

Noun

1. A hemispherical pit created by the impact of a meteorite or other object.
2. The basin-like opening or mouth of a volcano, through which the chief eruption comes; similarly, the mouth of a geyser, about which a cone of silica is often built up.
3. The pit left by the explosion of a mine or bomb.
4. (informal) Any large, roughly circular depression or hole.
5. Alternative spelling of krater (“vessel for mixing water and wine”)

Verb

1. To form craters in a surface.
2. To collapse catastrophically; to become devastated or completely destroyed.
3. To crash or fall.
4. To die from fall damage.

Synonyms

aperture

caldera

hole

🕳️

orifice

volcanic crater

chute

filler

funnel

jet-burner

lava

volcanic vent

pan

pit

shell-hole

vent

ring mountain

shell hole

arc crater

cauldron

cave

cavity

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈkɹeɪ.tə(ɹ)/

Etymology

First coined 1613, from Latin crātēr (“basin”), from Ancient Greek κρᾱτήρ (krātḗr, “mixing-bowl, wassail-bowl”).