Geyser comes from Icelandic Geysir, the name of a particular hot spring. The name is related to a verb for rushing forth. English turned that local proper name into a general label for similar springs elsewhere.
geyser
A spring that periodically erupts with hot water.
Geyser came from Icelandic.
How geyser reached English
oldest firstSimplified path. The puzzle showed the main steps; the full route is being checked.
Icelandic
geysa
‘To rush forth’
within Icelandic
Icelandic
Geysir
‘The named spring’
into English
English
geyser
‘An erupting hot spring’
The story of geyser
Related
A place or feature’s own name can become the name of an entire category.