cauldron
Americannoun
noun
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.
The $8 cauldron set a world record for the smallest popcorn container.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026
But ever since a pair of Italian ski legends lit the cauldron in Milan, just 18 months after the summer fête of Paris, the decline of the Games has felt like a distant memory.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 15, 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
In Milan, the pulsating cauldron inspired by the sun will burn at Arco della Pace.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2026
“I tell you now, none of us has ever set on a more perilous task. I ask your help, for I mean to attack Annuvin itself to seize I Arawn’s cauldron and destroy it.”
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.
