cauldron
Americannoun
-
cauldrons
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of cauldron
1250–1300; Middle English, alteration (by association with Latin caldus warm) of Middle English cauderon < Anglo-French, equivalent to caudere (< Late Latin caldāria; see caldera) + -on noun suffix
Explanation
A cauldron is a big pot used over an open fire. You may picture the witches in Shakespeare's Macbeth hovering over a cauldron of "Eye of newt and toe of frog, Wool of bat and tongue of dog" — yum! The cauldron, while conjuring up images of — well, conjuring — actually came from the Latin root calidus, meaning "hot." We can see this root in other Latin-based languages, including the Spanish caliente and Italian caldo. In English, the word became cauldron — a creepy name for a very useful pot.
Vocabulary lists containing cauldron
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act IV
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Boy: Tales of Childhood
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
I understand why the many chefs who mucked up the “Crystal Lake” cauldron, starting with Bryan Fuller, were compelled to fill in the blanks of Pamela’s origin story.
From Salon ● Oct. 18, 2026
We leave a great big cauldron of candy outside.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Runners could honor the Olympic movement’s past or future while celebrating L.A. and sports before passing the flame to the final torchbearer to light the cauldron.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
England deserve huge credit for one of their great World Cup wins when they came through the Azteca cauldron to beat Mexico in Mexico City, but have they actually played well?
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
The thought that Ellidyr should find the cauldron was more than he could bear.
From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander
The signature offerings also include plov, a dish featuring lamb or beef with rice prepared in kazans, specialty cast-iron cauldrons that give it a savory heft.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
In Fiorito, neighbors come and go to "Diego's house," as they call it, lugging containers which volunteers fill with chicken stew or other meals cooked in giant cauldrons in the yard.
From Barron's ● Apr. 14, 2026
There are also mini Bowser cauldrons capable of holding five to 11 kernels of popcorn.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2026
Those stereotypes might bring to mind images of black hats, broomsticks and cackling over cauldrons, common in much media.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2025
The colorful, glittering window displays of spellbooks, potion ingredients, and cauldrons were lost to view, hidden behind the large Ministry of Magic posters that had been pasted over them.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
