geothermal

adjective

geo·ther·mal ˌjē-ō-ˈthər-məl

: of, relating to, or utilizing the heat of the earth's interior

also : produced or permeated by such heat

geothermal steam

geothermal regions

geothermally

ˌjē-ō-ˈthər-mə-lē

adverb

Did you know?

Geothermal comes partly from the Greek thermos, "hot". Most geothermal electricity is provided by power plants situated in areas where there is significant activity of the Earth's great tectonic plates—often the same areas where volcanoes are found. But hot water from deep underground may be used by cities far from volcanoes to heat buildings or sidewalks. And a newer source of geothermal energy relies on a less dramatic kind of heat: Individual homeowners can now install heat pumps that take advantage of the 50°-60° temperature of the soil near the surface to provide heating in cold weather (and air-conditioning in the warm months). These very small-scale geothermal systems may eventually supply more useful energy than the large power plants.

Examples of geothermal 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.

But then life did what life does, and all that youthful bravado leaked out through the lines in his face like steam through fissures in geothermal rock. —

Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 1 Nov. 2024 The average rate for all room categories in the winter is €600 ($649) per night with breakfast and geothermal hot tub access included. —

Jaclyn Greenberg, WIRED, 22 Oct. 2024 And geothermal energy developers Fervo Energy and Sage Geosystems are pursuing power projects at Navy and Air Force bases to ease military reliance on vulnerable electric grids. —

Alan Neuhauser, Axios, 17 Oct. 2024 Last November, Google developed a geothermal project with developer Fervo Energy that supplies power to its data centers in Nevada. —

Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 15 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for geothermal