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DictionaryanvilMetalworking block
noun

anvil

AN-vil/ˈænvɪl/

A heavy iron or steel block on which metal is shaped.

A partly curved metal bar rests across the anvil's flat working face.

A large iron anvil on a sturdy wooden stump, with a partly curved metal bar held by forging tongs across its flat working face and a forging hammer resting alongside.
Etymology
anvilOld Englishanvil

Old English anfilt named the metalworker’s block. Its earlier formation apparently combined meanings like “on” and “hit,” fitting the surface on which metal is struck into shape.

In context

Libranima260:53
began hammering it upon the anvil— the red mass sending off the sparks
Moby Dick - Illustrated Audiobook for Focused Reading (Part 3/3)

More examples

  • Repeated hammer blows ring against the anvil.
  • The workshop contains two steel anvils.
  • She steadies the metal against the flat anvil.

Forms

anvil · anvils

Similar words

forge
A hearth for heating metal rather than the shaping block.