Etymology

cauldron (n.)

"very large kettle or boiler," c. 1300, caudron, from Anglo-French caudrun, Old North French cauderon (Old French chauderon "cauldron, kettle"), from augmentative of Late Latin caldaria "cooking pot" (source of Spanish calderon, Italian calderone), from Latin calidarium "hot bath," from calidus "warm, hot" (from PIE root *kele- (1) "warm"). The -l- was inserted 15c. in imitation of Latin.

Entries linking to cauldron

*kele- (1)

kelə-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "warm." It forms all or part of: caldera; calid; Calor; caloric; calorie; calorimeter; cauldron; caudle; chafe; chauffeur; chowder; coddle; lee; lukewarm; nonchalant; scald (v.) "afflict painfully with hot liquid or steam."

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit carad- "harvest," literally "hot time;" Latin calor "heat," calidus "warm," calere "be hot;" Lithuanian šilti "become warm," šilus "August;" Old Norse hlær, Old English hleow "warm."

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caldera (n.)

"cavity on the summit of a volcano," 1865, from Spanish caldera, literally "cauldron, kettle," from Latin caldarium "hot-bath" (plural caldaria), from caldarius "pertaining to warming," from calidus "warm, hot" (from PIE root *kele- (1) "warm"). A doublet of cauldron.

The term was originally used in describing volcanic regions occurring where Spanish is the current language, and was introduced by Von Buch in his description of the Canaries. [Century Dictionary]
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caldron (n.)
spelling of cauldron preferred by other dictionary editors.
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Definitions of cauldron from WordNet

cauldron (n.)
a very large pot that is used for boiling;
Synonyms: caldron
Etymologies are not definitions. From wordnet.princeton.edu, not affiliated with etymonline.

Dictionary entries near cauldron

caudate

caudillo

caudle

caught

caul

cauldron

cauliflower

cauline

caulis

caulk

causal

updated on October 19, 2017

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