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electric furnace

electric furnace

1 3.9
A machine that uses electricity to make heat instead of burning fuel
  • noun
  • /ɪˈlɛktrɪk ˈfɜrnɪs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : horno eléctrico
  • He then oversaw the introduction of the first electric furnaces for making alloy steels and the very early pouring of stainless steel in the U.S., both ventures coming just after the first war.
  • electric furnaces and baseboard heaters
  • electric furnaces or heat pump

Examples

  • Every lab is equipped with a small electric furnace for disposal purposes.

  • Paul, uh, don't forget to throw the switch on the electric furnace.

  • Now all the McMansions have electric furnaces (some gas).

    Blog text (32)
  • The laboratory utilizes an electric furnace to melt metals for various experiments.

  • In industries, an electric furnace is often used to generate high temperatures for metalworking.

  • An electric furnace is preferred for its efficiency in providing controlled heat without using fossil fuels.

Synonyms

Stassano furnace
vselectric furnace
  • Archaic
9.9

An electric furnace that uses a strong spark of electricity to heat metal to make steel

is the general type using electric current rather than burning fuel
electric-arc furnace
vselectric furnace
  • Specialized
6.0

A machine that uses an electric arc to melt metal to make steel

is broader using electric current not only arc methods
resistance furnace
vselectric furnace
  • Specialized
7.6

A machine that heats things by passing electricity through a metal wire

is the broader electric heating category beyond resistor types

How Hot

kiln
  • Specialized
20 6.3
electric furnace
  • Specialized
1 3.9
space heater
  • US
11 3.1

Surface Forms

Morphology

electric + furnace

The meaning is directly built from 'electric' (relating to electrical power) modifying 'furnace' (an enclosed heating device), so it refers straightforwardly to a furnace powered by electricity. This is a regular compositional noun phrase with no idiomatic shift, and the same logic exists in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will understand it.

Etymology

Electric furnace is named for how it makes heat: electric means 'made by electricity' and furnace means 'a hot oven', so electricity heats the inside instead of burning fuel. That's why it means 'a furnace where heat is made by electricity rather than by burning fuel'.