cauldron

Where does the word "cauldron" come from? It comes from Latin calidus, passing through Late Latin and Old French before entering English (1200s).

Cauldron’s story begins in Latin: calidus meant “hot, warm.” Hot, warm, from calere (to be warm). By ancient, the word had taken hold in Late Latin as caldaria. A hot bath, a cooking pot, from calidus. From there it passed into Old French as chaudron by medieval. Carried into French for a large cooking pot. It reached English by 1200s as cauldron. Settled as the English word for a large metal pot for boiling over a fire. Today, cauldron means a large metal pot used for boiling liquids over a fire.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient calidus "hot, warm", hot, warm, from calere (to be warm).
2. Stage 2 · Late Latin · ancient caldaria "a cooking pot", a hot bath, a cooking pot, from calidus.
3. Stage 3 · Old French · medieval chaudron "a large cooking pot", carried into French for a large cooking pot.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1200s cauldron "a large metal pot for boiling over a fire", settled as the English word for a large metal pot for boiling over a fire.