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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
Lisa Song, ProPublica, 19 Sep. 2023
The resulting remains are sold to cement companies, offering an alternative fuel source for their kilns and reducing their carbon emissions by nearly 30%.
—Ben Tracy, CBS News, 1 May 2023
Typically, clinker is made by heating limestone and clay in a rotating kiln to temperatures above 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit.
—Yusuf Khan, WSJ, 24 Aug. 2023
Masumoto’s works are Shigaraki ceramics, a style in which pottery is placed in the kiln unglazed as fire burns designs onto its surface.
—Teresa Nowakowski, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Aug. 2023
Other practices like crop burning, which many farmers use to clear their fields for harvest, and the use of brick kilns have also contributed to rising pollution.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN, 30 Aug. 2023
These are the first full-scale Shigaraki ceramics she’s created using a wood-fire kiln.
—Teresa Nowakowski, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Aug. 2023
More emissions come from cooling the kilns and transporting the cement.
—David Abel, BostonGlobe.com, 14 June 2023
The electric kilns can more reliably reach the higher temperatures — around 1,900 degrees Fahrenheit — necessary to fire food-safe glazes.
—Chantel Tattoli Marko Risovic, New York Times, 30 May 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kiln.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Kiln.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kiln. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on kiln
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for kiln
Nglish: Translation of kiln for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about kiln
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