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 corridor was dug into the ground and had six steps, connecting the kiln to what is believed to be a track. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 17 July 2024

Younger generations are eschewing the dirty and difficult work, even despite the chronic lack of other opportunities in Calabria, and the economic viability of the business is increasingly undermined by cheaper charcoal made in modern metal kilns. —Joshua Hughes, The New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2024

My destination was the kiln of the Mojave Desert and, sequestered within that immensity of thirst, a line on the thermometer: 120 degrees Fahrenheit. —Leath Tonino, Outside Online, 18 Aug. 2024

This means that every tile is produced in-house at Rookwood's Over-the-Rhine facility – from mixing and pressing the raw clay to firing it in the kiln to glazing it. —Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 21 Mar. 2024

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