crucible
/ˈkɹuː.sɪ.bəl/ noun C2- A cup-shaped piece of laboratory equipment used to contain chemical compounds when heating them to very high temperatures.
- A heat-resistant container in which metals are melted, usually at temperatures above 500°C, commonly made of graphite with clay as a binder.
- The bottom and hottest part of a blast furnace; the hearth.
- A very difficult and trying experience, that acts as a refining or hardening process.
Plural crucibles
From the library
Have you really measured the world by scrutinies, or through alembics and crucibles?
Yet, it is precisely within this crucible of discomfort that the transformative power of a genuine apology is forged.
The early colonial settlements functioned as an unprecedented linguistic crucible, bringing together extraordinarily disparate voices from across the British Isles.
The audition was ostensibly a simple evaluation, yet she viewed it as the ultimate crucible for her burgeoning musical career.
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