blowhole
/ˈbləʊhəʊl/ noun, verb
Forms blowholes blowholing blowholed
- noun (marine biology) The spiracle, on the top of the head, through which cetaceans breathe.
- noun A hole in sea ice where cetaceans and pinnipeds come to breathe.
- noun (geology) A top-facing opening to a cavity in the ground very near an ocean's shore, leading to a marine cave from which wave water or bursts of air are expelled.
- noun (geology) A vent for the escape of steam or other gas.
- noun (metallurgy) An unintended cavity filled with air in a casting product.
- noun (computer hardware) A vertical opening in the top of a computer case that lets hot air (primarily from the CPU heat sink) escape quickly.
- verb (metallurgy, ambitransitive) To fill or be filled with air in an unintended cavity.
Synonyms
Etymology
From blow + hole.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “blowhole”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details