furnace

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English

An oil furnace for heating a building

Etymology

From Middle English forneys, from Old French fornais (French fournaise), from Latin fornāx.

Pronunciation

Noun

furnace (plural furnaces)

  1. An industrial heating device, such as for smelting metal or firing ceramics.
    Plans for the next phase include furnaces capable of inert atmospheres and partial vacuums.
  2. (US, Canada) A device that provides heat for a building.
    Coordinate terms: heater, space heater
    HVAC services include furnace maintenance.
  3. (colloquial, figurative) Any area that is excessively hot.
    The busy kitchen became a sweltering furnace.
  4. (figurative) A place or time of punishment, affliction, or great trial; severe experience or discipline.
    forged in the furnace of fierce competition

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

furnace (third-person singular simple present furnaces, present participle furnacing, simple past and past participle furnaced)

  1. To heat in a furnace.
  2. To exhale like a furnace.

Anagrams