Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun a volcanic island made of ʻaʻā lava in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra in Indonesia

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a small volcanic island in Indonesia between Java and Sumatra; its violent eruption in 1883 was the greatest in recorded history

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Krakatoa is still East of Java (even though it's west) and will remain that way for all eternity.

    The lurid artistry of the Mexican lobby card 2009

  • I'm glad the error was made: Krakatoa is a truly pleasing word to the western ear, and so much more pleasing than the proper name, Krakatau.

    A Back-Story to The Man Who Loved China A Coincidence Most Curious and Telling 2010

  • Krakatoa is still East of Java (even though it's west) and will remain that way for all eternity.

    The lurid artistry of the Mexican lobby card 2009

  • Krakatoa is structured around the volcano as sort of a main character — I know it's been described that way in some reviews — but I was wondering if you were particularly attached to any of the human characters.

    When the Earth Flexes Its Muscles 2003

  • Looking off Java's shore at Anak Krakatoa, the island that had appeared in Krakatoa's place some fifty years after the volcano exploded into nothing, he noticed that it was significantly larger than it had been on his last visit; that it was, in fact, growing rapidly.

    When the Earth Flexes Its Muscles 2003

  • Krakatoa is built on accounts written around the time of the eruption.

    When the Earth Flexes Its Muscles 2003

  • Krakatoa is now littered with meters and things, but it's not likely to blow up anyway, because it's letting off steam all the time.

    When the Earth Flexes Its Muscles 2003

  • I bless him for having done it, because it gave me an easy introduction for talking about the volcano, by saying something like, "This was a dreadful film, not least because Krakatoa is west of Java, and that's where I want to begin this talk."

    When the Earth Flexes Its Muscles 2003

  • An island called Krakatoa blew up rather violently.

    The Tar-Aiym Krang Foster, Alan Dean, 1946- 1983

  • An island called Krakatoa blew up rather violently.

    The Tar-Aiym Krang Foster, Alan Dean, 1946- 1983

Comments

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  • Slight corruption of the Indonesian Krakaktau.

    I once co-directed a version of Tengul with Teater Krakaktoa in Bandar Lampung. We could see the volcano - on a clear day - from Ganti's upstairs balcony. In those days it was still possible to visit, and we did.

    October 3, 2013