Etymology
Advertisement

hypocaust (n.)

"arched fire chamber for heating rooms above via pipes," 1670s, from Late Latin hypocaustum, from Greek hypokauston, literally "heated from below," from hypo- "under; up from under" (see hypo-) + kauston, verbal adjective of kaiein "to burn" (see caustic).

Entries linking to hypocaust

hypo- 
word-forming element meaning "under, beneath; less, less than" (in chemistry, indicating a lesser oxidation), from Greek hypo (prep. and adverb) "under, beneath; up from under; toward and under (i.e. into)," from PIE root *upo "under."
caustic (adj.)

c. 1400, "capable of burning or destroying organic tissue, corrosive," from Latin causticus "burning, caustic," from Greek kaustikos "capable of burning; corrosive," from kaustos "combustible; burnt," verbal adjective from kaiein, the Greek word for "to burn" (transitive and intransitive) in all periods, which is of uncertain origin with no certain cognates outside Greek.

Figurative sense of "sarcastic, severely critical" is attested from 1771. As a noun "a caustic substance," early 15c., from the adjective.

Others are reading

Advertisement
Advertisement

Dictionary entries near hypocaust

hypnotist

hypnotize

hypo-

hypo

hypo-allergenic

hypocaust

hypochondria

hypochondriac

hypochondriasis

hypocoristic

hypocrisy

© 2001-2022 Douglas Harper