kiln

noun

ˈkiln  ˈkil 

: an oven, furnace, or heated enclosure used for processing a substance by burning, firing, or drying

kiln transitive verb

Did you know?

The word kiln was kindled in Old English as a bundle of c-y-l-n. Unlike many words that descend from Old English, however, kiln is not ultimately Germanic in origin but was borrowed from Latin culina, meaning "kitchen," an ancestor of the English word culinary, which has been a menu option in English since the 17th century. An ingredient in culina is coquere, meaning "to cook" in Latin.

Examples of kiln in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The team also assessed greenhouse gas and air emissions for modern concrete production, taking into account variability in equipment efficiency and energy sources for the kiln, among other factors. —Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 30 July 2025

Those plastics are used to fuel cement kilns or fortify cement, lumber or other construction materials. —David Staats, Idaho Statesman, 21 July 2025

Developed in collaboration with the Kakabadze studio in Tbilisi, the dial took over three years to complete, involving 19 separate enamel colors and 16 kiln firings. —Matthew Catellier, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025

When Kam gives a poetry reading and Jorja successfully fires the kiln up on campus for the first time. —Katie Yee, People.com, 10 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English kilne, from Old English cyln, from Latin culina kitchen, from coquere to cook — more at cook

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

kiln

noun

ˈkiln  ˈkil 

: an oven or furnace for hardening, burning, or drying something

brick kilns

kiln verb