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

The kiln, 20 feet deep with an arched fire mouth, resembled a brick dragon. —Siddhartha Mitter, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2024

Clay was extracted from local deposits and fired on an open bonfire kiln on the Isla de Margarita, with the rising smoke leaving its markings on the clay, and capturing the spirit of the community. —Lee Sharrock, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2024

In her studio, Lee has placed her kilns and pottery wheel and tried alternative firing techniques such as raku and pit firing. —Grace Xue, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2024

Luckily, a new kiln—double the size of her last one—is arriving to her studio later this year. —Hannah Martin, Architectural Digest, 17 Sep. 2024

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