Dictionary
hy•po•caust
Pronunciation: (hī'pu-kôst", hip'u-), [key]—
n.
a hollow space or system of channels in the floor or walls of some ancient Roman buildings that provided a central heating system by receiving and distributing the heat from a furnace.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.