caul·dron also cal·dron 
(kôldrən)
(kôldrən)n.
1. A large vessel, such as a kettle or vat, used for boiling.
2. A state or situation of great distress or unrest felt to resemble a boiling kettle or vat: a cauldron of conflicting corporate politics.
[Middle English caudron, caldroun, from Anglo-Norman cauderon, caldroun, diminutive of caudere, caldere, cooking pot, from Late Latin caldāria, pot for boiling, from feminine of Latin caldārius, suitable for warming, from calidus, warm; see kelə-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]