Definition of "cauldron"

Double, double, toile and trouble; / Fire burne, and Cauldron bubble.

c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act IV, scene i], page 143, column 2

[…] I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses … […]

1997, J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Raincoast Books, page 102

Large cauldrons are a little tricky to locate, but are well worth the search if you have a place to safely store and use one.

2004, Carl Neal, The Magick Toolbox: The Ultimate Compendium for Choosing and Using Ritual Implements and Magickal Tools, Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC

After having defended the constantly shrinking perimeter of their position for over two weeks, the encircled German units in the Cherkassy “cauldron” were ordered to break out.

1966, George H. Stein, The Waffen SS: Hitler’s Elite Guard at War, 1939–1945, page 217

The cauldron had been formed, and some 2,000 Soviets had been encircled in it; the division estimated this quite a success.

2012, Hans Wijers, Winter Storm: The Battle for Stalingrad and the Operation to Rescue 6th Army, page 153

This could have been avoided had the Ukrainian Army either evacuated the troops in the southern cauldron once it became clear that their position was untenable or reinforced them substantially in order to reopen supply lines.

2016, Paul Robinson, “Explaining the Ukrainian Army’s defeat in Donbass in 2014”, in J. L. Black, Michael Johns, editors, The Return of the Cold War: Ukraine, the West and Russia, page 120