Standard Lemma guide

furnace

name · noun · verb · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈfɝnɪs/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈfɜːnɪs/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)nɪs
  • CMU ARPABET: F ER1 N AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

name

Meaning 1

A surname, variant of Furness.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An industrial heating device, such as for smelting metal or firing ceramics.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Plans for the next phase include furnaces capable of inert atmospheres and partial vacuums.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A device that provides heat for a building.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Canada, US

Examples

  • HVAC services include furnace maintenance.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Any area that is excessively hot.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: colloquial, figuratively

Examples

  • The busy kitchen became a sweltering furnace.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A place or time of punishment, affliction, or great trial; severe experience or discipline.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

Examples

  • forged in the furnace of fierce competition

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To heat in a furnace.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To exhale like a furnace.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

an enclosed chamber in which heat is produced to heat buildings, destroy refuse, smelt or refine ores, etc.

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: chamber

Narrower terms: athanor, blast furnace, crematory, crematorium, cremation chamber, cupola, electric furnace, firebox, forge, gas furnace, incinerator, kiln, oil burner, oil furnace, open-hearth furnace, reverberatory furnace, tank furnace

History

Etymology

From Middle English forneys, from Old French fornais (French fournaise), from Latin fornāx.

Across languages

Translations

120 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܐܲܬܘܼܢܵܐ (āttuna) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Armenian: հնոց (hnocʻ) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Armenian: քուրա (kʻura) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Old Armenian: բով (bov) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Belarusian: печ (pječ) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Belarusian: то́пка (tópka) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Bulgarian: пещ (pešt) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Chichewa: ng'anjo — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Chinese Mandarin: 爐子 /炉子 (lúzi) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Chinese Mandarin: 熔爐 /熔炉 (rónglú) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Chinese Mandarin: 爐 /炉 (lú) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Czech: pec — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Dutch: oven — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Dutch: ketel — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Finnish: sulatusuuni — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Finnish: ahjo — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Finnish: uuni — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Finnish: masuuni — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • French: four — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • French: haut fourneau — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Galician: forno — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • German: Ofen — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • German: Hochofen — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • German: Schmelzofen — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Gothic: 𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌽𐍃 (auhns) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Greek: καμίνι (kamíni) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Greek: φούρνος (foúrnos) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Ancient Greek: κάμινος (káminos) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Ancient Greek: βαῦνος (baûnos) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Hebrew: כּוּר (kur) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Hindi: भट्ठा (bhaṭṭhā) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Hindi: भट्ठी (bhaṭṭhī) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Hungarian: kemence — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Hungarian: kohó — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Irish: foirnéis — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Italian: fornace — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Italian: bruciatore — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Italian: caldaia — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Japanese: 窯 (kama) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Japanese: 溶鉱炉 (yōkōro) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Japanese: 炉 (ro) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Korean: 노 (no) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Korean: 용광로 (yonggwangno) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Latin: fornāx — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Ligurian: fornâxe — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Macedonian: печка (pečka) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Māori: tahunga — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Mongolian: пийшин (piišin) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Persian: کوره (kure) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Polabian: pic — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Polish: piec — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Portuguese: forno — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Portuguese: fornalha — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Romanian: furnal — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Russian: печь (pečʹ) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Russian: горн (gorn) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Russian: до́мна (dómna) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Russian: то́пка (tópka) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Serbo-Croatian: пећ — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Serbo-Croatian: peć — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Slovak: vyhňa — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Slovak: pec — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Slovene: peč — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Spanish: fragua — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Swedish: masugn — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Tagalog: dapugan — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Turkish: fırın — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Turkish: yüksek fırın — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Ukrainian: піч (pič) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Ukrainian: то́пка (tópka) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Ukrainian: го́рно (hórno) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Ukrainian: горни́ло (hornýlo) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Ukrainian: вагра́нка (vahránka) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Vietnamese: lò — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Vietnamese: lò sưởi — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Yiddish: אויוון (oyvn) — device for heating in a factory, melting metals, etc
  • Catalan: calefacció — device for heating a building
  • Dutch: ketel — device for heating a building
  • Finnish: uuni — device for heating a building
  • Finnish: lämmitysuuni — device for heating a building
  • Finnish: pannu — device for heating a building
  • French: chaudière — device for heating a building
  • Galician: calefacción — device for heating a building
  • German: Ofen — device for heating a building
  • German: Heizung — device for heating a building
  • Hawaiian: kapuahi hoʻomahana hale — device for heating a building
  • Hungarian: kályha — device for heating a building
  • Hungarian: kazán — device for heating a building
  • Irish: foirnéis — device for heating a building
  • Italian: caldaia — device for heating a building
  • Italian: bruciatore — device for heating a building
  • Latin: camīnus — device for heating a building
  • Manx: furnish — device for heating a building
  • Polish: piec — device for heating a building
  • Portuguese: fornalha — device for heating a building
  • Russian: печь (pečʹ) — device for heating a building
  • Lower Sorbian: kamjeny — device for heating a building
  • Spanish: forno — device for heating a building
  • Spanish: fornalla — device for heating a building
  • Swedish: panna — device for heating a building
  • Swedish: värmepanna — device for heating a building
  • Ottoman Turkish: كولخان (külhan) — device for heating a building
  • Ukrainian: піч (pič) — device for heating a building
  • Ukrainian: гру́бка (hrúbka) — device for heating a building
  • Bulgarian: фу́рна (fúrna) — hot area
  • Chinese Mandarin: 火爐 /火炉 (huǒlú) — hot area
  • Chinese Mandarin: 烤爐 /烤炉 (kǎolú) — hot area
  • Finnish: pätsi — hot area
  • French: fournaise — hot area
  • Greek: καμίνι (kamíni) — hot area
  • Greek: φούρνος (foúrnos) — hot area
  • Polish: piec — hot area
  • Russian: то́пка (tópka) — hot area
  • Russian: печь (pečʹ) — hot area
  • Russian: пе́чка (péčka) — hot area
  • Spanish: achicharradero — hot area
  • Spanish: chicharrera — hot area
  • Spanish: asadero — hot area
  • Spanish: tostadero — hot area
  • Ukrainian: пе́кло (péklo) — hot area
Real reading context

furnace in complete knowledge articles