Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hypocaust

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.31 in modern English

Syllables
hypocaust
IPA
19
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
1
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An underfloor space or flue through which heat from a furnace passes to heat the floor of a room or a bath.

noun

An underfloor heating system, even without such an underfloor space or flue, as adapted for modern housing.

Etymology

From Latin hypocaustum, from Ancient Greek ὑπόκαυστον (hupókauston), from Ancient Greek ὑπό (hupó, “underneath”) + καυστόν (kaustón, “burnt offering”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: ὑπόκαυστον

Inflected Forms

hypocausts (plural)

Synonyms

hippocaust floor heating underfloor heating

Questions

What does hypocaust mean?
An underfloor space or flue through which heat from a furnace passes to heat the floor of a room or a bath.
Where does hypocaust come from?
It is traced to Ancient Greek.

How to pronounce hypocaust

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “hypocaust”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “hypocaust”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “hypocaust” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.