Word of the Day

: October 15, 2020

kiln

noun KILN

What It Means

: an oven, furnace, or heated enclosure used for processing a substance by burning, firing, or drying

kiln in Context

The art studio has purchased a kiln and now offers courses in ceramics.

"He has a kiln in his garage, and each bust is given a finish that makes it appear to be made of bronze." — Matt Soergel, The (Jacksonville) Florida Times-Union, 1 Sept. 2020

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.