Forms: α. 1 cyline, -ene, cyln(e, 4 kulne, 4–5 kylne (kyllne), 6–8 kilne, 6– kiln. β. 5–6 kylle, 6–7 kyll, 7 kil, 5–8 kill. γ. 6–8 (9 dial.) kell. δ. 6–7 keele, 7 kiele. [OE. cylene, etc.:—*cu·lina, a. L. culīna kitchen, cooking-stove, burning-place; with usual shifting of Latin stress (cf. kitchen).
Outside of English known only in Scand., ON. kylna (Norw. kjølne, Sw. kölna, Da. kølle), prob. adopted from Eng. (as Welsh cilin, cil certainly are). In ME. the final -n became silent (in most districts), hence the frequent spelling kill in place of the etymological kiln; cf. miln, MILL.]
1. A furnace or oven for burning, baking, or drying, of which various kinds are used in different industrial processes: e.g. (a) a furnace for burning a substance, as in calcining lime (LIME-KILN) or making charcoal; (b) an oven or furnace for baking bricks (BRICK-KILN), tiles, or clay vessels, or for melting the vitreous glaze on such vessels; (c) a building containing a furnace for drying grain, hops, etc., or for making malt.
α. c. 725. Corpus Gloss., 906. Fornacula, cyline, heorðe.
c. 1050. Suppl. Ælfric’s Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 185/30. Siccatorium, cyln, uel ast.
c. 1325. Gloss. W. de Bibbesw., in Wright, Voc., 158. Toral (kulne).
c. 1420. Avow. Arth., xv. As kylne other kechine, Thus rudely he rekes.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 274/2. Kylne for malt dryynge (P. kill), ustrina.
1625. Markham’s Farew. Husb., 108. Having your Kilne well ordered and bedded, you shall lay as many sheaues thereon, as it can containe.
1683. Lond. Gaz., No. 1789/4. A Kilne for making of Mault.
1703. Moxon, Mech. Exerc., 242. Lime … newly drawn out of the Kiln.
1719. De Foe, Crusoe, I. ix. A Kiln, such as the Potters burn in.
1851. Longf., Gold. Leg., i. A smouldering, dull, perpetual flame, As in a kiln, burns in my veins.
β. 1471. Yatton Church-w. Acc. (Som. Rec. Soc.), 107. For makyng a kylle and ye lyme-berner xs.
1509. Barclay, Shyp of Folys (1570), 107 b. As one potter maketh of one clay Vessels diuers, but when he must them lay Upon the kill [etc.].
1577. Harrison, England, II. vi. (1877), I. 156. They carrie it [barley] to a kill couered with haire cloth.
1611. Bible, Jer. xliii. 9. Hide them in the clay in the bricke kill.
1663. Gerbier, Counsel, 52. A Kill … for the making of twenty thousand of Bricks.
1728. Ramsay, Monk & Miller’s Wife, 48. Step ye west the kill A bow-shot, and ye’ll find my hame.
1777. H. Gates, in C. Gist, Jrnls. (1893), 280. The extensive Buildings and Kills … are also laid in Ashes.
1828. Craven Dial., s.v., A lime kill, a maut kill.
γ. 1577. Harrison, England, III. viii. (1878), II. 53. The Chiues … are dried vpon little kelles couered with streined canuasses.
1625. Lisle, Du Bartas, Noe, 46. The Tyler bakes within his smoakie kell this clay to stone.
1706. Phillips, Kell or Kiln.
1875. Sussex Gloss., Kell, a kiln.
δ. 1573–80. Baret, Alv., B 1232. To make bricke in a keele.
1577. B. Googe, Heresbach’s Husb. (1586), 28 b. When it [barley] is watred I drie it upon a floore or a keele.
1626. Bacon, Sylva, § 648. The drying [of malt] upon the Keele.
b. In phrases and proverbs: esp. to set the kiln on fire (Sc. a-low), to fire the kiln, to cause a serious commotion or turmoil; so the kiln’s on fire.
1590. Lodge, Euphues Gold. Leg., in Halliwell, Shakespeare, VI. 42. Tush, quoth Ganimede, all is not malte that is cast on the kill.
1603. Florio, Montaigne (1634), 503. It is that which some say prouerbially, ‘Ill may the Kill call the Ouen “burnt taile.”’
1705. Hickeringill, Priest-cr., I. (1721), 47. As for my Peck of Malt, set the Kiln on fire.
1722. Wodrow, Hist. Suff. Ch. Scot., II. 206. They … told him, that his opposing the Clause, excepting the King’s Sons and Brothers, had fired the Kiln.
1818. Scott, Hrt. Midl., xlv. The Captain’s a queer hand, and to speak to him about that … wad be to set the kiln a-low. Ibid. (1819), Leg. Montrose, xx. He has contrived to set the kiln on fire as fast as I put it out.
c. = KILNFUL.
1744–50. W. Ellis, Mod. Husbandm., VI. I. 21. They fetch five quarters of lime from the kiln, which they call a kiln of lime, because it is all they burn at once.
2. attrib. and Comb., as kiln-board, -burning, -dust, -fire, -man, -mouth, -wife; kiln-burnt adj.; kiln-barn, a barn containing a kiln; † kiln-cloth, a cloth on which the grain was laid in a kiln; kiln-eye, (a) an opening for removing the lime from a lime-kiln; (b) = kiln-hole; † kiln-haire = kiln-cloth; † kiln-hamer (?); kiln-hole, the fire-hole of a kiln (see also quot. 1828); kiln-house, a kiln, or building containing one; kiln-logie (see KILLOGIE); kiln-pot, ? the floor of a malting or drying kiln; kiln-rib, -stick, -tree, one of the sticks on which the grain is laid in a kiln. Also KILN-DRY v.
a. 1670. Spalding, Troub. Chas. I. (Spald. Cl.), I. 61. Thay … schot hir self with hir barnes to duell in the *kilbarne.
1882. Standard, 16 Sept., 8/2. Brickmakers’ plant and stock, comprising … hack planks, *kiln boards.
1854. J. Scoffern, in Orr’s Circ. Sc., Chem., 418. The mere process of *kiln-burning.
1850. Gosse, Rivers Bible (1878), 174. *Kiln burnt bricks.
1877. Raymond, Statist. Mines & Mining, 98. Kiln-burned coal would, it is estimated, weigh 20 pounds per bushel.
1573–80. Baret, Alv., K 60. The *kill cloth of haire, cilicium.
1660. Hexham, A Kill-cloath of hair.
1763. Museum Rust., I. 114. To distinguish the genuine malt-dust from that which is called *kiln-dust, which falls through the gratings from the malt whilst it is drying.
1603. Owen, Pembrokeshire (1891), 70. A kill … havinge two lope holes in the bottome which they call the *kill eyes.
1875. Knight, Dict. Mech., II. 1228. The *kiln-fire is supplied with warm air.
1567. Richmond Wills (Surtees), 211. In the kilne, one seastron and one *kilne hare.
1551. Wills & Inv. N. C. (Surtees, 1835), 134. In the kyell … a *kyllhamer and a wyndooclothe xs.
1598. Shaks., Merry W., IV. ii. 59. Creepe into the *Kill-hole.
1828. Craven Dial., Kill-hole, the hole of, or a hovel adjoining, the kill.
1417. Surtees Misc. (1888), 12. The *kylne howse of the same Sir John.
1544. in W. H. Turner, Select. Rec. Oxford, 174. The kyll howses beneyth the [Oseney] mylls.
1598. Sylvester, Du Bartas, II. ii. Babylon, 164. There, busie *Kil-men ply their occupations For brick and tyle.
1874. T. Hardy, Far fr. Madding Crowd, I. 86. The room inside was lighted only by the ruddy glow from the *kiln mouth.
1785. Burns, Halloween, xi. note. An answer will be returned from the *kiln-pot, by naming the Christian and surname of your future spouse.
1790. Fisher, Poems, 149 (E. D. D.). She straught gaed to a deep kiln pot Her fortune for to try.
1737. Bracken, Farriery Impr. (1740), II. 150. His Body as dry as a *Kiln-stick.
c. 1475. Pict. Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 792/39. Hec ustrinatrix, a *kylme wife.
Hence Kilnful, as much as a kiln can hold. rare.
1724. Ramsay, Tea-t. Misc. (1733), I. 9. A kilnfu’ of corn I’ll gi’e to thee.
