trivet

¹ American  

[triv-it] / ˈtrɪv ɪt /

noun

1. a small metal plate with short legs, especially one put under a hot platter or dish to protect a table.

2. a three-footed or three-legged stand or support, especially one of iron placed over a fire to support cooking vessels or the like.

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trivet ² American  

[triv-it] / ˈtrɪv ɪt /

Or trivette

noun

1. a special knife for cutting pile loops, as of velvet or carpets.

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trivet British  

/ ˈtrɪvɪt /

noun

1. a stand, usually three-legged and metal, on which cooking vessels are placed over a fire

2. a short metal stand on which hot dishes are placed on a table

3. old-fashioned in perfect health

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Etymology

Origin of trivet¹

1375–1425; late Middle English trevet, Old English trefet, apparently blend of Old English thrifēte three-footed and Latin triped-, stem of tripēs three-footed (with Vulgar Latin -e- for Latin -i- )

Origin of trivet²

Origin uncertain

Explanation

A small plate or stand that you put a hot serving dish on is called a trivet. Your famous chicken noodle casserole might need to rest on a trivet so you don't burn your kitchen table. Anything placed on a table to protect it from a hot pan can be called a trivet. If you forget to use a trivet under a pot of chili, your table might end up with a big scorch mark. The original meaning of trivet was "three-legged stand," especially one used under a cooking pot in a wood stove or over an open fire. It probably comes from the Latin word tripedem, "three-footed," from tri, "three," and pes, "foot."

Example Sentences

Later I brought it out, first as a curiosity piece and conversation starter, then as an accidental trivet.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026

After removing the pot from the heat to a trivet or heat-safe surface, put your gloves and eye protection back on, and carefully pour the lye into the pot of oil.

From Salon • Jul. 15, 2022

Tuck a couple of serving spoons into that hot skillet and serve it family-style — on a trivet to protect your table.

From Washington Post • Mar. 8, 2022

Anyone who has rethought a friendship with you because you didn’t pony up for a trivet is not a real friend.

From Slate • Jun. 18, 2014

There was also a tile trivet depicting a blond, unbearded Jesus, delivering a sermon on a mountaintop, left in one of the drawers of the built-in china cabinet in the dining room.

From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri