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Where does the word "furnace" come from? It comes from Latin fornax, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).
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Where does the word "furnace" come from? It comes from Latin fornax, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).
Furnace’s story begins in Latin: fornax meant “oven, kiln.” Related to 'formus', warm. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as fornais. Old French for a baker's oven. It reached English by 1200s as furnace. Blast furnaces date from the 1700s. Today, furnace means an enclosed chamber for heating.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient fornax "oven, kiln", related to 'formus', warm.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval fornais "furnace", Old French for a baker's oven.
- Stage 3 · English · 1200s furnace "oven", blast furnaces date from the 1700s.