Furnace
/ˈfɜːr.nɪs/noun
A closed structure or chamber used for heating, melting, or burning material at very high temperatures.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from Latin for a baking oven, and its history passes through Old French before English turned it into the blazing chamber we know today.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gwher-
“to heat, warm”
Latin
LA
fornax
“an oven, kiln, or furnace”
Late Latin
LL
fornacis
“of a furnace”
Old French
OF
fornais
“a furnace, oven”
Middle English
ME
fornace
“a furnace or oven”
Modern English
EN
furnace
“a high-temperature heating chamber”
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