anvil

[ an-vil ]

noun

1. a heavy iron block with a smooth face, frequently of steel, on which metals, usually heated until soft, are hammered into desired shapes.
2. anything having a similar form or use.
3. the fixed jaw in certain measuring instruments.
4. Also called anvil cloud,. Meteorology. incus ( def 2 ).
5. a musical percussion instrument having steel bars that are struck with a wooden or metal beater.
6. Anatomy. incus ( def 1 ).

anvil

/ ˈænvɪl /

noun

1. a heavy iron or steel block on which metals are hammered during forging
2. any part having a similar shape or function, such as the lower part of a telegraph key
3. the fixed jaw of a measurement device against which the piece to be measured is held
4. anatomy the nontechnical name for incus

Word History and Origins

Origin of anvil¹

before 900; Middle English anvelt, anfelt, Old English anfilt ( e ), anfealt; cognate with Middle Dutch anvilte, Old High German anafalz. See on, felt ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of anvil¹

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

Example Sentences

In an effort to try to control the spread, officials are aerial spraying the pesticide Anvil 10+10, which is an EPA-registered product used to control mosquitoes in the US.

From BBC

Scenes from the video include the women using urinals, brandishing sex toys, and Perry being hit by an anvil – which prompts her to grow bionic legs.

From BBC

People have accused the "Woman's World" music video of using the male gaze because Perry and a cast of women are dressed as sexed-up construction workers before an anvil kills her.

From Salon

An old blacksmith struggled to hoist a small anvil onto a yak.

From Literature

As I lay in the dirt, coughing, and wondering how I had ended up with such bad luck, I could see no difference if God punished us on purpose or by accident—the hammer or the anvil.

From Literature