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sheet anchor

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noun

Nautical. a large anchor used only in cases of emergency.
a final reliance or resource, as when in danger.

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RELATED WORDS

buffer, insurance, precaution, protection, safeguard, subsidy, benefits, parachute, anchor, bower, drogue

Nearby words

  1. sheerly,
  2. sheerness,
  3. sheers,
  4. sheesh,
  5. sheet,
  6. sheet bend,
  7. sheet down,
  8. sheet erosion,
  9. sheet feeder,
  10. sheet film

Origin of sheet anchor

First recorded in 1485–95
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sheet anchor

British Dictionary definitions for sheet anchor

sheet anchor

noun

nautical a large strong anchor for use in emergency
a person or thing to be relied upon in an emergency

Word Origin for sheet anchor

C17: from earlier shute anker, from shoot (obsolete) the sheet of a sail
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