furnace B1 Topic:Energy & Industry US /ˈfɝnɪs/ UK /ˈfɜːnɪs/ See IPA manual Minimal pairs Sounds like furnish /s/ vs /ʃ/ Freq #11633 Meanings 1 noun an enclosed chamber in which heat is produced to heat buildings, destroy refuse, smelt or refine ores, etc. The furnace melted the ore before sunrise. 2 noun An industrial heating device, such as for smelting metal or firing ceramics. Plans for the next phase include furnaces capable of inert atmospheres and partial vacuums. 3 noun A device that provides heat for a building. HVAC services include furnace maintenance. 4 noun Any area that is excessively hot. The busy kitchen became a sweltering furnace. Thesaurus Word family Derived forms franklinfurnaceitefurnacelikefurnacemanfurnacerfurnaceymicrofurnacenonfurnacephurnacite Common collocations blast furnace Noun + noun Etymology From Middle English forneys, from Old French fornais (French fournaise), from Latin fornāx. Topics Energy & Industry External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # furnace **Type:** Word **Level:** B1 **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈfɝnɪs/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈfɜːnɪs/ **Frequency rank:** 11633 ## Meanings 1. an enclosed chamber in which heat is produced to heat buildings, destroy refuse, smelt or refine ores, etc. 2. An industrial heating device, such as for smelting metal or firing ceramics. 3. A device that provides heat for a building. 4. Any area that is excessively hot. ## Examples - The furnace melted the ore before sunrise. - Plans for the next phase include furnaces capable of inert atmospheres and partial vacuums. - HVAC services include furnace maintenance. - The busy kitchen became a sweltering furnace. ## Derived Forms - franklinfurnaceite - furnacelike - furnaceman - furnacer - furnacey - microfurnace - nonfurnace - phurnacite ## Etymology From Middle English forneys, from Old French fornais (French fournaise), from Latin fornāx. ## Topics - Energy & Industry markdown