anvil

noun

an·​vil ˈan-vəl How to pronounce anvil (audio)
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

Illustration of anvil
  • anvil 1

Examples of anvil in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web That’s because the Aggies were as much as 3.5-point favorites, depending on the source, and losing a Quad 1 game on the road isn’t an anvil on your résumé. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2024 The whole system, which has been likened to an anvil for splitting N2, requires at least ten to twenty genes (no one is quite sure of the minimum), though some bacteria use fifty or more. Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2024 And as more enthusiasts join the fray, the price of anvils has risen. Amelia Nierenberg, New York Times, 25 Dec. 2023 The most common size impact wrenches are ½-inch drive models—those with a square anvil measuring ½ x ½-inch, that accepts ½-inch sockets. Bradley Ford, Popular Mechanics, 26 May 2023 Some people have learned to throw clay or make their own suits; others bend iron over an anvil and weld pieces of steel together. Amelia Nierenberg, New York Times, 25 Dec. 2023 Another hardy and strong anvil lopper, this tool has multiple features including telescoping arms for extended reach and a ratchet mechanism to make cuts easier. Jacquelene Amoquandoh, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Oct. 2023 Only a sharp strike on the face of the anvil was such to cause joint failure. Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 4 Aug. 2023 The Stone Age craftsman may even have used a stone anvil in the latter stages or some other special technique. Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 18 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'anvil.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of anvil was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near anvil

Cite this Entry

“Anvil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anvil. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

anvil

noun
an·​vil ˈan-vəl How to pronounce anvil (audio)
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 How to pronounce anvil (audio)
: incus

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