hypocaust

American  

[hahy-puh-kawst, hip-uh-] / ˈhaɪ pəˌkɔst, ˈhɪp ə- /

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.

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hypocaust British  

/ ˈhaɪpəˌkɔːst /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of hypocaust

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hypocaust

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

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 7, 2023

It had no cloisters, no hypocaust, no suite or sequence of rooms.

From Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern — Volume 4 by Hamilton Wright Mabie

The dwellers had both summer and winter apartments; and when the cold weather arrived the hypocaust furnaces were lighted, and the family adjourned to their winter quarters.

From English Villages by P. H. (Peter Hampson) Ditchfield

Then come the anointing-room, the hypocaust, or furnace, and two small rooms; next the warm bath, which commands an admirable view of the sea.

From Museum of Antiquity A Description of Ancient Life by T. L. (Thomas Louis) Haines

The great fireplaces, one for every hypocaust, built in arches under the outer walls of the villa, were approached from the outside by passages of rough masonry.

From Nicanor - Teller of Tales A Story of Roman Britain by Margaret West Kinney