anvil
part of speech
noun (an anvil, anvils)
meaning for a pupil
1) A heavy iron block with a flat top on which a blacksmith hammers hot metal into shape. tree →
2) A tiny bone in the middle ear, also called the incus. tree →
3) (weather) The flat, spreading top of a big thundercloud. tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: Here it means the block on which a metalworker hammers an idol into shape. Interpretation: Isaiah mocks the craftsmen who encourage each other as they make a god out of metal that has to be nailed down so it will not fall. In the primary lessons: In history and stories the anvil belongs to blacksmiths, who hammer horseshoes and swords on it. In science lessons the ear has three tiny bones: hammer, anvil and stirrup. In cartoons an anvil often falls on a character's head. Phrases: «hammer and anvil», «anvil cloud».
examples
- So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer him that smiteth the anvil, saying of the soldering: 'It is good'; and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved. (Prophets ISA.41.7, JPS 1917) tree →
- The blacksmith hammered the red-hot horseshoe on the anvil. tree →
- Clang! went the hammer on the anvil. tree →
- The anvil is one of the three tiny bones in your ear. tree →
- A storm cloud with an anvil top can bring thunder and hail. tree →
- In the cartoon an anvil fell on the coyote. tree →
- An anvil is so heavy that it doesn't move when you hit it. tree →
- Cursed be the smith who forged it, and the anvil on which it was wrought!’ tree →
note
Countable, use «an»: an anvil. Stress: AN-vil.
In the corpora
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «anvil» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.