Boilers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Machines designed to heat water or generate steam for heating or power purposes
2. Devices that use fuel to raise the temperature of water or create steam for industrial or residential use
3. Apparatus that produce steam or hot water by applying heat, commonly used in buildings and factories

Etymology: The plural "boilers" is simply the plural of "boiler," so the history lies in that noun. "Boiler" is formed from the verb "boil" plus the agent suffix "-er," meaning a thing that boils. "Boil" came into English through Middle English "boillen," which was borrowed from Old French "boillir," itself descended from Latin "bullire," a verb tied to "bulla," a bubble. The root idea is therefore the bubbling of liquid, and the device is named for the action it performs. The suffix has a longer ancestry than the verb. The "-er" ending traces back through Middle English "-ere" and Old English "-ere" to a Proto-Germanic form, and it passed into English along the way from Latin "-arius" through Old French "-ier." Each stage kept the same job: marking a person or thing that performs an action.

Synonyms: heaters, furnaces, kettles, steam generators, water heaters