fur•nace
Pronunciation: (fûr'nis), [key] — n., v., -naced, -nac•ing.
—n. - a structure or apparatus in which heat may be generated, as for heating houses, smelting ores, or producing steam.
- a place characterized by intense heat: The volcano was a seething furnace.
- (cap.)the constellation Fornax.
—v.t. - to heat (a metal piece) in a furnace.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.