cauldron, caldron

On this page

• Definition of “cauldron”
• Spelling of “cauldron”
• Additional information

Definition of “cauldron”

The noun cauldron usually refers to a large, round pot for cooking:

• For this year’s corn roast, we’ll be boiling 50 ears of corn in a giant cauldron.
• In fairy tales, witches often brew potions in cauldrons over fire.

It can also refer to any kind of hollow container:

• The Olympic cauldron is lit during the opening ceremony and burns until the closing ceremony.

Figuratively, cauldron can be used to describe a situation that is volatile, unstable or dangerous:

• Social media can be a cauldron of misinformation.

It can also be used figuratively to describe intense feelings:

• He was a seething cauldron of anger.

Spelling of “cauldron”

In Canada and Great Britain, cauldron is spelled with a u.

In the United States, cauldron is most commonly spelled with a u. A variant spelling, although less common, is caldron without a u.

Additional information

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