Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “furnace” come from?

Furnace comes from Middle English forneys, from Old French fornais, from Latin fornax meaning an oven or kiln.

furnace (English): An industrial heating device, e.g. for smelting...

Definitions

  1. An industrial heating device, e.g. for smelting...

Ancestry of “furnace”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishforneysA stove or oven; a device for cooking upon or in;...
2Old Frenchfornaisfurnace
3Latinfornāx—

Words derived from “furnace”

  • furnaceman
  • furnacelike
  • microfurnace
  • almond-furnace
  • nonfurnace
Every word from Latin fornāx →