Anvil
WordNet
noun
(1) A heavy block of iron or steel on which hot metals are shaped by hammering
(2) The ossicle between the malleus and the stapes
WiktionaryText
Etymology
From anfilt or onfilti ("either that on which something is 'welded' or 'folded'"), compare German , or connected with other Teutonic forms of the word, compare German amboss, in which case the final syllable is from "beat,", and the meaning is "that on which something is beaten" and has likely influenced the English word emboss.
Noun
- A heavy iron block used in the blacksmithing trade as a surface upon which metal can be struck and shaped.
- An incus bone in the inner ear.
Quotations
iron
- 1794, William Blake, The Tyger, lines 15-16 (for syntax)
- What the anvil? what dread grasp
- Dare its deadly terrors clasp?