Etymology Dictionary

CALDRON, CAULDRON,  a large kettle.  (F.,—L.)   M.E. caldron; Gower, C. A. ii. 266.   But more commonly caudron; Seven Sages, ed. Wright, l. 1231; Legends of the Holy Rood, ed. Morris, p. 60.—O.F. caldron, caudron, forms given neither in Burguy nor Roquefort, but they must have existed.   Most likely they were Picard forms (the Picard using c instead of the Ile of France ch; Brachet, Hist. Gram. Introd. p. 21), the standard O.F. forms being chaldron, chaudron, as shewn by mod. F. chaudron.   The O.F. word caldaru, a cauldron, occurs in the very old Glossaire de Cassel; Bartsch, Chrestomathie Française, col. 2, l. 19.   Cf. Ital. calderone, a cauldron.   B. The O.F. chaldron is formed by the augmentative suffix -on (Ital. -one) from the sb. of which the oldest F. form is caldaru (as above), answering to mod. F. chaudière, a copper.—Lat. caldaria; the phrase uas caldaria, a cauldron, being used by Vitruvius (Brachet); cf. Lat. caldarium, a cauldron, properly neuter of caldarius, adj., that serves for heating; caldaria being the feminine.—Lat. caldus, hot; contracted form of calidus, hot.—Lat. calere, to be hot.   Cf. Skt. çrá, to boil; Benfey, p. 969; Fick, i. 44.  See Caloric, Chaldron.  ¶ The Span. form calderon gave name to the great Spanish author.