cauldron
n. countablen. a very large metal pot used for cooking over an open fire. You might see one in stories about witches or history books about old kitchens.
n. a large metal pot with a lid and handle, used for boiling liquids over an open fire. Often used metaphorically to describe a situation full of strong, unstable emotions or intense activity.
The soup simmered in a large iron cauldron.
The hikers found an old iron cauldron left behind in the ruins of the abandoned mountain cabin.
The stadium became a cauldron of noise and emotion as the home team scored the winning goal in the final seconds of the match.
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.
Commonly used in fantasy literature or as a metaphor for volatile situations.