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

His kiln still sits in the same village in southern Japan where some 40 Korean artisans were settled four centuries ago. —New York Times, 13 Dec. 2025

Three kilns capable of processing 375 metric tons of agricultural waste and yielding 60-70 tons of biochar will be installed in Gujarat and Maharashtra, India. —Jennifer Bringle, Sourcing Journal, 10 Dec. 2025

The kilns are gone, and brick masonry represents a fading trade. —Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 2 Dec. 2025

Requiring over 20 hours of fabrication time, this lustrous dial is produced via the application of numerous layers of vitreous enamel and multiple firings in a kiln measuring between 800 degrees and 900 degrees Celsius. —Oren Hartov, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 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