Puzulana

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A volcanic ash used as a binder in cement and mortar that enhances strength and durability
2. A material found in construction that helps in creating hydraulic concrete through its pozzolanic properties
3. A naturally occurring substance that reacts with lime in the presence of water to form compounds with cement-like qualities

Etymology: Puzzolana, the Italian form of the word, is named for Pozzuoli, a town on the Bay of Naples. Roman builders mixed volcanic ash from the nearby slopes of Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields with lime and water to make a hydraulic mortar that hardened even underwater. The name passed into Latin as "pulvis Puteolanus," meaning "dust of Puteoli," the Latin name for Pozzuoli, and Roman writers such as Vitruvius described the material in his treatise on architecture. The English form "pozzolana" is borrowed from Italian, and the word now covers any siliceous or aluminous material that reacts with calcium hydroxide, not only volcanic ash from that region. Modern cement and concrete makers still use these additives, and the Roman recipe is the reason the word survives in engineering.