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anvil
An anvil is defined as a block made of iron and used as a surface on which to hammer heated metals into desired shapes.
(noun)An example of someone who might use an anvil is a blacksmith.
The definition of an anvil is a non-moving portion of some tools used for measurement.
(noun)An example of a tool that has an anvil is a measuring gauge.
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See anvil in Webster's New World College Dictionary
noun
- an iron or steel block on which metal objects are hammered into shape
- the incus, one of the three bones of the middle ear
Origin: ME anvelt < OE anfilt < an, on + *filtan, to hit, beat < IE base *pel-, to beat > (im)pel, felt
See anvil in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
- a. A heavy block of iron or steel with a smooth, flat top on which metals are shaped by hammering.b. Something resembling an anvil, as in shape or function.
- The fixed jaw in a set of calipers against which an object to be measured is placed.
- Anatomy See incus.
Origin:
Origin: Middle English anfilt
Origin: , from Old English; see pel-5 in Indo-European roots
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