DCHP-2

box stove DCHP-2 (October 2016)

• n. — rare, historical, Housing

  a cast-iron stove with a firebox suitable for burning wood (see Image 1).

  Type: 1. Origin — The term is often used in Quebec, Ontario, the Northwest Territories and Manitoba, with limited currency in other provinces (see Chart 1). It is a synonym for Canada stove, Canadian stove or box heater. Box stove is also quite frequent in Ireland and Australia, however. It is today a preservation of a term that was once quite widespread in the colonies. OED-3 lists only one 1878 quotation (s.v. "box n.2 C1 box-stove, 1 April 2016) from London, UK. While generality of the concept and spread to Australia and New Zealand might suggest a possible British origin, the purported synonym Canada stove and its design feature of a square firebox make Type 1 - Origin the most plausible scenario at present.
  Box stoves are no longer built or marketed in Canada except in antique stores; thus, the main use of the term is historical (see the 2001 quotation).
  See also ITP Nelson, s.v. "box stove", which is marked "Canadian".

  See also: box heater  Canada stove  Canadian stove