hypocaust

[hahy-puh-kawst, hip-uh-]

noun

1. a hollow space or system of channels in the floor or walls of some ancient Roman buildings that provided a central heating system by receiving and distributing the heat from a furnace.

hypocaust

/ ˈhaɪpəˌkɔːst /

noun

1. an ancient Roman heating system in which hot air circulated under the floor and between double walls

Word History and Origins

Origin of hypocaust¹

1670–80; < Latin hypocaustum < Greek hypókauston room heated from below, equivalent to hypo- hypo- + kaustón, neuter of kaustós (verbal adjective) heated, burned; caustic

Word History and Origins

Origin of hypocaust¹

C17: from Latin hypocaustum, from Greek hupokauston room heated from below, from hupokaiein to light a fire beneath, from _hypo- + kaiein to burn

Example Sentences

The Romans developed the hypocaust method of heating floors and walls thousands of years ago.

From Seattle Times

Earlier excavations near Scalford, Leicestershire, found traces of a building with mosaics, wall plaster and a hypocaust heating system.

From BBC

It has a well-preserved hypocaust, or apparatus for warming the house by hot air.

From Project Gutenberg

Hypocaust, hip′o-kawst, n. among the ancients, a vaulted chamber from which the heat of stoves was distributed to baths or rooms above: now applied to the fireplace of a stove or hothouse.

From Project Gutenberg

"He's a powerful and original thinker, and to involve myself in the hypocaust of his imagination is toxic for my own work."

From The Guardian