Puddling Was a Key Step in Making Iron
A puddle is a small pool of water. The verb once named an industrial process that transformed British ironmaking.
A puddle is a small shallow pool. The verb had an industrial life: *puddling*, patented by Henry Cort in 1784, stirred molten pig iron in a furnace to burn off carbon and produce wrought iron. It was a decisive step in the Industrial Revolution, and the word came from the stirring motion.
- A small pool. *A muddy puddle.*
- To stir molten iron. *Puddled iron.*
- To line with clay. *Puddle the pond.*
- Puddle jumper — a small aircraft. *A puddle jumper.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | puddle | A deep puddle. |
| Plural | puddles | Rain puddles. |
| Verb | puddle | Puddle the clay. |
| Noun | puddling | The puddling process. |
| Related | pool | A rock pool. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Puddling produced wrought iron.From 1784.
- Puddled clay lines a canal.To make it watertight.
- Puddle comes from the same root as pool.Old English *pudd*, a ditch.
Iron and steel terms
- Pig iron — the crude product of a blast furnace, high in carbon
- Wrought iron — low carbon, tough and fibrous
- Puddling — the stirring process removing carbon
- Cast iron — high carbon, hard and brittle
- Steel — controlled carbon content between the two
From Old English *pudd*, a ditch, plus the diminutive *-le*. The industrial sense dates from the eighteenth century.
What was puddling?
Stirring molten pig iron in a reverberatory furnace to burn off carbon, producing wrought iron. It was patented in 1784.
What does puddling clay mean?
Working wet clay until it becomes an impermeable layer, used to line canals and ponds.