: of or relating to hot water
used especially of the formation of minerals by hot solutions rising from a cooling magma

Examples of hydrothermal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
On the plains was a female bison standing vigil through the night, a statue of white from the hydrothermal spray of a nearby geyser falling as frost back toward the earth. Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 20 Mar. 2026 The analyses revealed a long span of hydrothermal activity at the site—with the oldest samples dating to around 66 million years ago and the freshest to about 58 million years ago. Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 9 June 2026 Starting from a parking lot seven miles from the southwest entrance, the boardwalk portion of the path allows visitors to get a close-up view of the 16-acre basin’s hydrothermal activity. Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 23 Jan. 2026 Conventional methods for converting biomass into solid fuel, such as hydrothermal carbonization and torrefaction, can take anywhere from 30 minutes to six hours. New Atlas, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for hydrothermal

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hydrothermal was in 1849

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hydrothermal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hydrothermal. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Medical Definition

hydrothermal

adjective
: of or relating to hot water
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!