Added 9 October 2026
crucible
/ˈkɹuː.sɪ.bəl/ noun
In Latin: conflatorium, crucibulum Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about crucible at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- A cup-shaped piece of laboratory equipment used to contain chemical compounds when heating them to very high temperatures.
- A heat-resistant container in which metals are melted, usually at temperatures above 500°C, commonly made of graphite with clay as a binder.
- The bottom and hottest part of a blast furnace; the hearth.
Origin
From Latin crucibulum (“night-lamp, metallurgic melting-pot”), apparently a derivative of crux (“cross”), perhaps by analogy to thūribulum (“censer”) and suffix -bulum, or from crucio (“to torment”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)