mofette

noun

mo·​fette

variants or less commonly moffette

mōˈfet

plural -s

: a vent from which carbon dioxide and some nitrogen and oxygen issue from the earth in a last stage of volcanic activity

Word History

Etymology

French mofette gaseous exhalation, mofette, from Italian mofeta, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle High German müffeln to smell moldy

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