Enceladus; why use the words "geysers", "jets", and "plumes" interchangeably?
Question:
I would know why the words &quot;geysers&quot; and &quot;jets&quot; would be used interchangeably. Is this because it hasn't been confirmed yet what they are, and the authors don't wish to show favoritism by choosing one or the other, or are they synonymous and can always be used interchangeably, or is there some other reason ?

A jet is a generic term to describe the ejection of material.  You'll see it used all over the place in physics (and astronomy).  Jet's can be any form of matter ( solid, liquid, gas, plasma ).
A geyser is a specific type of geological process and, as I understand it, means (at the least) a liquid is being vented (typically water).  The exact process is, of course, not known for certain for non-terrestrial bodies.  I don't think using the term &quot;geyser&quot; is a statement of certainty, but would be used to indicate the general type of event.
I think you're more likely to use &quot;jets&quot; if it's not properly understood and &quot;geysers&quot; when you're either proposing a mechanism that's geyser-like or it's generally accepted that they're geyser-like already.  But I don't think that's written in stone.