The story
Named for the description given by Pliny the Younger of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., which has been taken as archetypical of this type of eruption.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Plinian eruption
Today it means: A type of volcanic eruption marked by the ejection of large columns of volcanic debris and gases into the stratosphere; particularly large amounts of pumice, caused by a very powerful, gas-driven eruption. Full definition →