kiln
kiln
/kɪln/
A furnace or oven for burning, baking, or drying something, especially one for firing pottery.
A kiln is distinct from a kitchen oven because it reaches much higher temperatures (often over 2,000°F) necessary to chemically alter clay or melt glass.
The story behind the word. Though we associate kilns with pottery today, the word shares a common ancestor with 'culinary'—the Latin 'culina' (kitchen). Over time, the English word split off to refer exclusively to the heavy-duty industrial ovens used for bricks and clay.
Word relationships
- furnace: A furnace is generally used for melting metal or heating buildings, while a kiln is specifically used for baking clay, bricks, or drying wood.
- oven: An oven is used for cooking food at relatively low temperatures, whereas a kiln operates at extreme heat for industrial or artisanal materials.
Commonly confused with
- hearth: A hearth is the floor of a fireplace, often symbolizing the home, whereas a kiln is an enclosed, high-heat chamber for firing crafts.
Word family
- kilns (noun): Plural form of kiln.
Collocations
- pottery kiln
- brick kiln
- kiln-dried wood
- fire the kiln
Example sentences
- "After shaping the clay on the wheel, she placed the vase into the kiln for its first firing." A potter preparing their work.
- "The lumber was dried in a massive kiln to prevent it from warping before construction." The industrial drying of wood.
Memory hook
Imagine a 'kiln' as a place where you 'kill' the moisture in wet clay to make it hard as stone. Kill the moisture in the kiln.
When not to use
Do not use to describe standard cooking appliances or industrial metal-melting furnaces (which are called blast furnaces or forges).
Fun facts
- Historically, the 'n' in 'kiln' was silent, and many traditional potters still pronounce it as 'kill' today, though pronouncing the 'n' is now widely accepted.
Explore more words
incinerate, dehydrate, desiccate, pasteurize, cure, sterilize
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