anvil

[ an-vil ]

/ ˈæn vɪl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR anvil ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a heavy iron block with a smooth face, frequently of steel, on which metals, usually heated until soft, are hammered into desired shapes.

anything having a similar form or use.

the fixed jaw in certain measuring instruments.

Also called anvil cloud, anvil top. Meteorology. incus(def 2).

a musical percussion instrument having steel bars that are struck with a wooden or metal beater.

Anatomy. incus(def 1).

RELATED WORDS

plover, farrier, smithy, shoer

Nearby words

Origin of anvil

before 900; Middle English anvelt, anfelt, Old English anfilt(e), anfealt; cognate with Middle Dutch anvilte, Old High German anafalz. See on, felt²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for anvil

INSIDER TIP: Anvil is not for the faint of wallet: fresh ingredients set imbibers back $8-$12 per cocktail.
Foodie Heaven in Houston|Michele Meyer|July 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Murmelstein was stuck with a thankless and impossible job, caught between the hammer and the anvil, as he tells us.
Confessions of a Death Camp Collaborator: Claude Lanzmann’s ‘The Last of the Unjust’|Jimmy So|February 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He seems relieved—like an anvil has been lifted from his shoulders—and so are we.
'Breaking Bad's' Series Finale Cements Its Status As One of the All-Time Greats|Andrew Romano|September 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
If we had these rules, everybody would have known what was going on at JPMorgan Chase long before the anvil dropped on their head.
Barney Frank on JPMorgan’s Contradictions, Mitt Romney’s Mistakes|Eleanor Clift|May 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST

But the popularity of the league is absolutely irrelevant anyway in terms of race: It still hovers like an anvil.
March Madness Race Wars and Jimmer Fredette|Buzz Bissinger|March 22, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Yes, they were ready in good time to play the anvil chorus on the heads of the lively gang of insulters.
Cad Metti, The Female Detective Strategist|Harlan Page Halsey
Then he brought the chain and the anvil, and welded the red-hot iron upon her limb.
The Flockmaster of Poison Creek|George W. Ogden
We want somebody to tell him what the ol' man wants—ol' Horne of the Anvil.
The Sheriff of Badger|George B. Pattullo
He heats it upon an anvil, till it becomes nearly thin enough for his purpose.
Knowledge is Power:|Charles Knight
I got my litre at a blacksmith's; they brought me out a chair under a tree, and I ate and drank to the ring of the anvil.
A Spring Walk in Provence|Archibald Marshall

British Dictionary definitions for anvil

anvil

/ (ˈænvɪl) /

noun

a heavy iron or steel block on which metals are hammered during forging

any part having a similar shape or function, such as the lower part of a telegraph key

the fixed jaw of a measurement device against which the piece to be measured is held

anatomy the nontechnical name for incus

Word Origin for anvil

Old English anfealt; related to Old High German anafalz, Middle Dutch anvilte; see on, felt ²

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for anvil

anvil

Old English anfilt, a West Germanic compound (cf. Middle Dutch anvilt, Old High German anafalz, Dutch aanbeeld, Danish ambolt "anvil") from *ana- "on" + *filtan "hit" (see felt (n.)). The ear bone so called from 1680s. Anvil Chorus is based on the "Gypsy Song" that opens Act II of Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Il Trovatore," first performed in Teatro Apollo, Rome, Jan. 19, 1853.

Medicine definitions for anvil

anvil

[ ăn′vĭl ]

n.

incus