andiron
Americannoun
noun
Regional Use
Etymology
Origin of andiron
1250–1300; Middle English aundyr ( n ) e, Anglo-French aundyre, with the 2nd syllable taken as Middle English ire, iren iron < Old French andier, allegedly < Gaulish *anderos young animal (through known use of animals’ heads as decorations on andirons), though supposed relation between this word and Middle Welsh anneir, Breton annoer heifer, Old Irish ainder young woman, poses serious phonetic problems
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On display in Manhattan's Robinson Galleries last week went a Wheelock retrospective show that started with the dachshund andiron, ended in 1940 with a crisp, stylized figure of Washington at Valley Forge.
From Time Magazine Archive
She falls, strikes her head against a fraternity andiron.
From Time Magazine Archive
I saw ye andiron leap into ye pott and dance, and leap out, and again leap in, and leap on a table and there abide.
From The Bay State Monthly, Volume 3, No. 4 by Various
Carl knocked his pipe empty on the knob of an andiron, sank deeper into his chair, and began to speak slowly.
From The Plastic Age by Percy Marks
One early 17th-century andiron recovered is attractively decorated with a cherub’s head in relief.
From New Discoveries at Jamestown Site of the First Successful English Settlement in America by John L. Cotter
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
