# cauldron

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkɔːl.dɹən/ · frequency rank #26,714

## Definitions
1. A large bowl-shaped pot used for boiling over an open flame.
2. A type of encirclement.
3. An unsettled or difficult situation or place.

## 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.

## Common misspellings (12)
`aculdron`, `caludron`, `caudlron`, `caulddron`, `cauldorn`, `cauldrno`, `cauldronn`, `cauldrron`, `caulldron`, `caulrdon`, `ccauldron`, `cualdron`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/cauldron