kiln

Everyday

A very hot oven used for baking (firing) clay pots, bricks or tiles to make them hard, or for drying things like wood or hops. tree →

In the lessons

In art lessons: clay models are fired in a kiln at school, and they become hard ceramics. In science: heating clay causes an irreversible change — it cannot turn back into soft clay. In history: old brick kilns and lime kilns. Safety: kilns are extremely hot, only adults use them. Phrases: «fire in a kiln», «pottery kiln», «brick kiln».

Examples

• Our clay pots went into the kiln to be fired. tree →
• The kiln gets much hotter than a kitchen oven. tree →
• After the kiln, the clay was hard and shiny. tree →
• Only the art teacher can open the kiln. tree →
• The old brick kiln is now a museum. tree →
• Bricks are baked in a kiln. tree →
• And toward evening he came to another brick-kiln. tree →

Note

Countable. Pronounced «kiln» (some people say «kill»). Firing clay in a kiln is an irreversible change.