cauldron
Americannoun
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.
That will add more heat to the IPO cauldron.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026
Legendary BBC commentator Ted Lowe, predicting trouble may be ahead in the Crucible cauldron, says: "The butterflies must be floating around his tummy."
From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026
The next time the Olympic cauldron is supposed to be lit will be in Los Angeles on July 14, 2028.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2026
Goggia would have had a late night as she lit the cauldron in the opening ceremony in Cortina on Friday, one of two that will burn throughout these Games.
From Barron's • Feb. 7, 2026
“I dreamed of the cauldron, too,” Taran said anxiously.
From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
