Dictionary

cauldron en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈkɔːl.dɹən/
• (Australia) audio
• (US) audio
• /ˈkəʊl.dɹən/ (dated)

Etymology

From Middle English caudroun, borrowed from Old Northern French caudron, ultimately from Late Latin caldāria (“cooking-pot”), from Latin caldus (“hot”). Spelling later Latinized by having an l inserted. See chowder, caldera. The military sense is a semantic loan from German Kessel; compare English kettling.

Meanings

1. A large bowl-shaped pot used for boiling over an open flame.
   • […] I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses … […] 1997, J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Raincoast Books, →ISBN, page 102:
   • Large cauldrons are a little tricky to locate, but are well worth the search if you have a place to safely store and use one. 2004, Carl Neal, The Magick Toolbox: The Ultimate Compendium for Choosing and Using Ritual Implements and Magickal Tools, Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC, →ISBN:
   • Double, double, toile and trouble; / Fire burne, and Cauldron bubble. c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i], page 143, column 2:
2. A type of encirclement.
   • The cauldron had been formed, and some 2,000 Soviets had been encircled in it; the division estimated this quite a success. 2012, Hans Wijers, Winter Storm: The Battle for Stalingrad and the Operation to Rescue 6th Army, →ISBN, page 153:
   • This could have been avoided had the Ukrainian Army either evacuated the troops in the southern cauldron once it became clear that their position was untenable or reinforced them substantially in order to reopen supply lines. 2016, Paul Robinson, “Explaining the Ukrainian Army’s defeat in Donbass in 2014”, in J. L. Black, Michael Johns, editors, The Return of the Cold War: Ukraine, the West and Russia, →ISBN, page 120:
   • After having defended the constantly shrinking perimeter of their position for over two weeks, the encircled German units in the Cherkassy “cauldron” were ordered to break out. 1966, George H. Stein, The Waffen SS: Hitler’s Elite Guard at War, 1939–1945, →ISBN, page 217:
   • Near-synonym: kettle
3. (figuratively) An unsettled or difficult situation or place.
   • a cauldron of discontent
   • Near-synonyms: kettle, pickle; see also Thesaurus:difficult situation
   • With Old Trafford a cauldron of noise, Kobbie Mainoo somehow kept his cool to curl an equaliser into the corner of the Lyon goal as the tie entered its final minute. 2025 April 17, Simon Stone, “Manchester United 5-4 Olympique Lyonnais”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 31 May 2025:

Forms

Coordinates

spider · Dutch oven · copper · stewer · roasting pan · roaster · kettle

Deriveds

cauldron arse · cauldron bottom · cauldron battle · witches' cauldron · cauldronlike · cauldronful

Hypernyms

pot · vessel

Relateds

out of the frying pan, into the fire (difficult situation) · scald · calorie · chowder · caldera · coddle

Synonyms

fix · cauldron · jam · quagmire · calvary · spot · cross · kettle of fish · sticky wicket · pickle · difficulty · dire straits · hole · trouble · bind · kettle · kettle · plight · pinch · cross to bear · situation · tight spot · sticky situation · quandary · kettle · bucket of syrup · ass in a sling · pickle · doghouse · spot of bother · dilemma · ordeal · predicament

Translations (166)

is ketill (large bowl-shaped pot) · sc cradhaxu (large bowl-shaped pot) · arz قزان (large bowl-shaped pot) · cy pair (large bowl-shaped pot) · uz qozon (large bowl-shaped pot) · id kuali (large bowl-shaped pot) · sv gryta (large bowl-shaped pot) · az qazan (large bowl-shaped pot) · hi हंडा (large bowl-shaped pot) · sq kazan (large bowl-shaped pot) · it caldaia (large bowl-shaped pot) · pt caldeirão (large bowl-shaped pot) · ruq căldari (large bowl-shaped pot) · kpv пӧрт (large bowl-shaped pot) · crh qazançıq (large bowl-shaped pot) · nb kjele (large bowl-shaped pot) · vec caldera (large bowl-shaped pot) · izh pata (large bowl-shaped pot) · la lebēs (large bowl-shaped pot) · bo ཁྲོ་ཟངས (large bowl-shaped pot) · vec calieron (large bowl-shaped pot) · sc cadharzu (large bowl-shaped pot) · cmn 大鍋 /大锅 (large bowl-shaped pot) · ca calder (large bowl-shaped pot) · uk коте́л (large bowl-shaped pot) · ca caldera (large bowl-shaped pot) · id kenceng (large bowl-shaped pot) · bg каза́н (large bowl-shaped pot) · sh kòtao (large bowl-shaped pot) · sc cardazu (large bowl-shaped pot) · es caldera (large bowl-shaped pot) · la cortīna (large bowl-shaped pot) · fr chaudron (large bowl-shaped pot) · bcl kaldero (large bowl-shaped pot) · cu котьлъ (large bowl-shaped pot) · kw kawdarn (large bowl-shaped pot) · cs kotel (large bowl-shaped pot) · fur čhalderie (large bowl-shaped pot) · sc labia (large bowl-shaped pot) · nrf tchaûdron (large bowl-shaped pot) · yi קעסל (large bowl-shaped pot) · fi pata (large bowl-shaped pot) · km ខ្វាន់ (large bowl-shaped pot) · scn quadaruni (large bowl-shaped pot) · egy Aa2:t-N34 (large bowl-shaped pot) · vi vạc (large bowl-shaped pot) · ur ہَنْڈا (large bowl-shaped pot) · fur cjalderie (large bowl-shaped pot) · mi kohua (large bowl-shaped pot) · ms kuali (large bowl-shaped pot) · sco caudron (large bowl-shaped pot) · tl kaldero (large bowl-shaped pot) · ota قزان (large bowl-shaped pot) · kw chek (large bowl-shaped pot) · tg дег (large bowl-shaped pot) · hi देग़ (large bowl-shaped pot) · it paiolo (large bowl-shaped pot) · he קְדֵרָה (large bowl-shaped pot) · it pentolone (large bowl-shaped pot) · mn тогоо (large bowl-shaped pot) · ka ქვაბი (large bowl-shaped pot) · pdt Grope (large bowl-shaped pot) · it calderone (large bowl-shaped pot) · es cacerola (large bowl-shaped pot) · gl biolo (large bowl-shaped pot) · tr kazan (large bowl-shaped pot) · hu katlan (large bowl-shaped pot) · ja 大釜 (large bowl-shaped pot) · sco chader (large bowl-shaped pot) · ms kaldron (large bowl-shaped pot) · fa-ira پاتیل (large bowl-shaped pot) · scn caudaruni (large bowl-shaped pot) · gl caldeiro (large bowl-shaped pot) · scn callaruni (large bowl-shaped pot) · vec caldiron (large bowl-shaped pot) · mk казан (large bowl-shaped pot) · bg коте́л (large bowl-shaped pot) · ky казан (large bowl-shaped pot) · hi टाँका (large bowl-shaped pot) · el καζάνι (large bowl-shaped pot) · hi देग (large bowl-shaped pot) · uga 𐎖𐎍𐎃𐎚 (large bowl-shaped pot) · cy crochan (large bowl-shaped pot) · ru котёл (large bowl-shaped pot) · et katel (large bowl-shaped pot) · sv kittel (large bowl-shaped pot) · gd coire (large bowl-shaped pot) · vec calderon (large bowl-shaped pot) · lo ໝໍ້ (large bowl-shaped pot) · hu üst (large bowl-shaped pot) · gl caldeira (large bowl-shaped pot) · nl ketel (large bowl-shaped pot) · ca calder (strategic encirclement) · th หม้อ (large bowl-shaped pot) · id kaldron (large bowl-shaped pot) · sh ко̀тао (large bowl-shaped pot) · da kedel (large bowl-shaped pot) · tk gaazan (large bowl-shaped pot) · be кацёл (strategic encirclement) · grc λέβης (large bowl-shaped pot) · ro ceaun (large bowl-shaped pot) · mnk kalero (large bowl-shaped pot) · nrf chaûdgiéthe (large bowl-shaped pot) · tt казан (large bowl-shaped pot) · de Kessel (strategic encirclement) · sco kettil (large bowl-shaped pot) · kk қазан (large bowl-shaped pot) · tk gazan (large bowl-shaped pot) · ba ҡаҙан (large bowl-shaped pot) · grc δευτήρ (large bowl-shaped pot) · th หม้อน้ำ (large bowl-shaped pot) · el χύτρα (large bowl-shaped pot) · ru каза́н (large bowl-shaped pot) · sc lapia (large bowl-shaped pot) · sc labija (large bowl-shaped pot) · kmr qazan (large bowl-shaped pot) · hu bogrács (large bowl-shaped pot) · br chaodouron (large bowl-shaped pot) · vec caldiera (large bowl-shaped pot) · uk коте́л (strategic encirclement) · cmn 大釜 (large bowl-shaped pot) · fa-ira دیگ (large bowl-shaped pot) · fa-ira لَوید (large bowl-shaped pot) · ang ċietel (large bowl-shaped pot) · sc cradaxu (large bowl-shaped pot) · uk баня́к (large bowl-shaped pot) · is suðupottur (large bowl-shaped pot) · cy callor (large bowl-shaped pot) · mk котел (large bowl-shaped pot) · cmn 釜 (large bowl-shaped pot) · sl kotel (large bowl-shaped pot) · ms kawah (large bowl-shaped pot) · crh qazan (large bowl-shaped pot) · ms kenceng (large bowl-shaped pot) · ga coire (large bowl-shaped pot) · gv coirrey (large bowl-shaped pot) · rup cãldari (large bowl-shaped pot) · uk каза́н (large bowl-shaped pot) · sc cadraxu (large bowl-shaped pot) · hy կաթսա (large bowl-shaped pot) · gl ral (large bowl-shaped pot) · gl briolo (large bowl-shaped pot) · ar قِدْر (large bowl-shaped pot) · sc cadràgiu (large bowl-shaped pot) · hu katlan (strategic encirclement) · sc caddàrgiu (large bowl-shaped pot) · ko 가마솥 (large bowl-shaped pot) · eo kaldrono (large bowl-shaped pot) · ang ālfæt (large bowl-shaped pot) · de Kessel (large bowl-shaped pot) · vi nồi (large bowl-shaped pot) · be каза́н (large bowl-shaped pot) · br per (large bowl-shaped pot) · ru котёл (strategic encirclement) · dsb kóśeł (large bowl-shaped pot) · bo དཀྱིལ་ཁྲོ (large bowl-shaped pot) · pl kocioł (large bowl-shaped pot) · nrf caûdron (large bowl-shaped pot) · id kawah (large bowl-shaped pot) · ug قازان (large bowl-shaped pot) · sk kotol (large bowl-shaped pot) · ur دیگ (large bowl-shaped pot) · be кацёл (large bowl-shaped pot) · io kaldrono (large bowl-shaped pot) · pl kocioł (strategic encirclement) · sc cadhàrgiu (large bowl-shaped pot)