anvil

noun

an·​vil ˈan-vəl 

1

: a heavy usually steel-faced iron block on which metal is shaped (as by hand hammering)

2

: incus

3

: the anvil–shaped top of a cumulonimbus

Illustration of anvil

• anvil 1

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Look for the dome-like protrusion shooting out above the anvil of the thunderstorm. —Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 9 May 2019

Pruners come in two types: bypass and anvil. —Beth Botts, chicagotribune.com, 30 Jan. 2022

The sun fell on our helmets like an anvil. —New York Times, 23 May 2022

The 93rd is the hammer to the 81st’s anvil. —David Axe, Forbes, 15 May 2022

Both of the images above shows what that looks like: protrusions that bubble up from the flat anvil. —Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 17 Apr. 2016

With a few clicks, players can summon an avatar of the Yankees ace on a projection screen and stand in against actual high-90s fastballs at the top of the zone, biting sliders, and anvil curveballs that mimic Cole’s release point, velocity, spin, spin axis, and movement. —Alex Speier, BostonGlobe.com, 31 Mar. 2023

By the power of Vulcan’s mighty anvil. —Joseph Goodman | [e-mail], al, 29 Sep. 2022

The team would then progressively loosen the anvil while testing the sample for superconducting properties. —Quanta Magazine, 8 Mar. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Middle English anfeld, anefelt, anvelt, anvyll, going back to Old English anfealt and anefilt, anelfilte, going back to Germanic *ana-falta- and *ana-feltja- (whence also, from the first, Old High German anafalz "anvil" and from the second, Middle Dutch aenvilte, anevilte), from *ana- "on" and *-falta-, *-feltja-, nominal derivatives from *faltan-, taken to mean "to strike, beat" — more at felt entry 1

Note: The word anvil was originally a deverbal compound meaning in effect "the thing on which striking is done." Already in Old English the makeup of the compound would have been less than transparent, as a verb corresponding to the deverbal second element -fealt/-filt(e) does not appear to have existed (or at least is not attested). Such a verb does exist in Old High German, though only in extended and/or specialized senses (see the note at felt entry 1). Parallel to *ana-falta-/*ana-feltja- were other Germanic compounds meaning "anvil": *ana-bauta- (whence Middle Low German anebōt, ambōt, Old High German anabōz, present-day German Amboß), from *bautan- "to strike, beat" (see beat entry 1); and *ana-baltja- (whence Middle Low German ānebelte, Middle Dutch aenbelt, Dutch aanbeeld, Old High German anabelzi) and *ana-bulta- (whence Middle Low German ānebolt, ambolt, Old High German anabolz), from the verbal base behind Old English bolt "bolt, arrow," Old High German bolz "bolt, hot iron" (see bolt entry 1). It has been suggested that all the Germanic compounds are calques on Latin incūd-. incūs "anvil," formed from in- in- entry 2 + cūdere "to beat, strike, hammer." Alternatively, the formation of such nouns may have been a European areal feature; compare Russian nakovál'nja "anvil," from na- "on" and a derivative of the verb kovát' "to hammer, forge," Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian nâkōvanj.

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

anvil

noun

an·​vil ˈan-vəl 

1

: a heavy iron block on which metal is shaped (as by hammering)

2

: the middle bone of the chain of three small bones in the ear of a mammal

called also incus

Medical Definition

anvil

noun

an·​vil ˈan-vəl 

: incus