hypocaust

noun

hy·​po·​caust ˈhī-pə-ˌkȯst 

: an ancient Roman central heating system with underground furnace and tile flues to distribute the heat

Examples of hypocaust in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The bathhouse is preserved in parts to a height of around 6.5 feet and contains a heated room known as a hypocaust. —Anna Walas, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 July 2023

One of the first systems of central heating – called a hypocaust – is known from the Temple at Ephesus, constructed around 350 B.C. Historians credit Sergius Orata for improving the Greek’s early tech. —Sean Mowbray, Discover Magazine, 13 Sep. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Latin hypocaustum, from Greek hypokauston, from hypokaiein to light a fire under, from hypo- + kaiein to burn

First Known Use

1678, in the meaning defined above