Which of the following modern-day words is derived from the name of a hot water feature in Iceland?

Today we use the word “geyser” to refer to any hot springs that periodically spout jets of hot water and steam, for example: Old Faithful Geyser, in Yellowstone National Park in the U.S. However, originally the term referred to a specific geyser located in the Haukadalur valley of southwestern Iceland.

Geysir (also known as Great Geysir) literally means “the gusher,” from the Old Norse “geysa” (to gush). It was the first geyser described in a printed source and the first known to modern Europeans. At some point in the mid-17th century, the word “geyser” began to be applied to other spouting hot springs around the world.

Research gathered from sinter (a type of silica which is often found as crusts or layers around hot springs and geysers) shows Geysir has been active for centuries. The oldest accounts of hot springs at Haukadalur date back to 1294, when earthquakes in the area caused significant changes in the local landscape, creating several new hot springs.

Although Iceland’s Geysir has been ejecting boiling water into the air since the 13th century, it has been less active in the past century, due to a buildup of sediment. However, Geysir still occasionally spouts columns of boiling water up to 230 feet (70m) high.