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

Pictures show excavators painstakingly digging around the brick kiln, which has miraculously survived the centuries. —Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 9 May 2025

Stoneware: The most durable of all ceramic dinnerware, stoneware dinnerware sets are made from a coarser type of clay than porcelain but are usually kiln fired to similar temperatures. —Tom Mylan, Bon Appétit, 26 Feb. 2025

An area where the factory’s kilns were located will be incorporated into the design. —Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2025

Flare kilns were shaped like the top and neck of a bottle and used to burn chalk and limestone into quicklime, which would then be used for construction. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 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

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

kiln

noun

ˈkiln  ˈkil 

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

brick kilns

kiln verb