/
ˈkruːsɪb(ə)l/
n.
- a container in which metals or other substances may be melted or subjected to very high temperatures.
- a situation in which people or things are severely tested, often interacting to produce something new:
a relationship forged in the crucible of war.
Etymology
ME: from med. L. crucibulum ‘night lamp, crucible’, from L. crux, cruc- ‘cross’.