Furnace
/ˈfɝnɪs/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 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 an enclosed chamber in which heat is produced to heat buildings, destroy refuse, smelt or refine ores, etc. wordnet
- 3 A device that provides heat for a building. Canada, US
"HVAC services include furnace maintenance."
- 4 Any area that is excessively hot. colloquial, figuratively
"The busy kitchen became a sweltering furnace."
- 5 A place or time of punishment, affliction, or great trial; severe experience or discipline. figuratively
"forged in the furnace of fierce competition"
Verb
- 1 To heat in a furnace.
- 2 To exhale like a furnace.
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname, variant of Furness.
Example
More examples"What do you need a 2000°C furnace for?"
Etymology
From Middle English forneys, from Old French fornais (French fournaise), from Latin fornāx.