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Webster 1913 Edition

Anchor

An′chor

(ăṉ′kẽr)
,
Noun.
[OE.
anker
, AS.
ancor
,
oncer
, L.
ancora
, sometimes spelt
anchora
, fr. Gr.
ἄγκυρα
, akin to E.
angle
: cf. F.
ancre
. See
Angle
,
Noun.
]
1.
A iron instrument which is attached to a ship by a cable (rope or chain), and which, being cast overboard, lays hold of the earth by a fluke or hook and thus retains the ship in a particular station.
☞ The common anchor consists of a straight bar called a shank, having at one end a transverse bar called a stock, above which is a ring for the cable, and at the other end the crown, from which branch out two or more arms with flukes, forming with the shank a suitable angle to enter the ground.
Formerly the largest and strongest anchor was the sheet anchor (hence,
Fig.
, best hope or last refuge), called also
waist anchor
. Now the bower and the sheet anchor are usually alike. Then came the best bower and the small bower (so called from being carried on the bows). The stream anchor is one fourth the weight of the bower anchor. Kedges or kedge anchors are light anchors used in warping.
2.
Any instrument or contrivance serving a purpose like that of a ship’s anchor, as an arrangement of timber to hold a dam fast; a contrivance to hold the end of a bridge cable, or other similar part; a contrivance used by founders to hold the core of a mold in place.
3.
Fig.: That which gives stability or security; that on which we place dependence for safety.
Which hope we have as an
anchor
of the soul.
Heb. vi. 19.
4.
(Her.)
An emblem of hope.
5.
(Arch.)
(a)
A metal tie holding adjoining parts of a building together.
(b)
Carved work, somewhat resembling an anchor or arrowhead; – a part of the ornaments of certain moldings. It is seen in the echinus, or egg-and-anchor (called also
egg-and-dart
,
egg-and-tongue
) ornament.
6.
(Zool.)
One of the anchor-shaped spicules of certain sponges; also, one of the calcareous spinules of certain Holothurians, as in species of
Synapta
.
6.
(Television)
an
achorman
,
anchorwoman
, or
anchorperson
.
Anchor ice
.
See under
Ice
.
–
Anchor light
See the vocabulary.
–
Anchor ring
.
(Math.)
Same as
Annulus
, 2 (b).
–
Anchor shot
See the vocabulary.
–
Anchor space
See the vocabulary.
–
Anchor stock
(Naut.)
,
the crossbar at the top of the shank at right angles to the arms.
–
Anchor watch
See the vocabulary.
–
The anchor comes home
,
when it drags over the bottom as the ship drifts.
–
Foul anchor
,
the anchor when it hooks, or is entangled with, another anchor, or with a cable or wreck, or when the slack cable is entangled.
–
The anchor is acockbill
,
when it is suspended perpendicularly from the cathead, ready to be let go.
–
The anchor is apeak
,
when the cable is drawn in so tight as to bring the ship directly over it.
–
The anchor is atrip
, or
aweigh
,
when it is lifted out of the ground.
–
The anchor is awash
,
when it is hove up to the surface of the water.
–
At anchor
,
anchored.
–
To back an anchor
,
to increase the holding power by laying down a small anchor ahead of that by which the ship rides, with the cable fastened to the crown of the latter to prevent its coming home.
–
To cast anchor
,
to drop or let go an anchor to keep a ship at rest.
–
To cat the anchor
,
to hoist the anchor to the cathead and pass the ring-stopper.
–
To fish the anchor
,
to hoist the flukes to their resting place (called the bill-boards), and pass the shank painter.
–
To weigh anchor
,
to heave or raise the anchor so as to sail away.

An′chor

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Anchored
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Anchoring
.]
[Cf. F.
ancrer
.]
1.
To place at anchor; to secure by an anchor;
as, to
anchor
a ship
.
2.
To fix or fasten; to fix in a stable condition;
as, to
anchor
the cables of a suspension bridge
.
Till that my nails were
anchored
in thine eyes.
Shakespeare

An′chor

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To cast anchor; to come to anchor;
as, our ship (or the captain)
anchored
in the stream
.
2.
To stop; to fix or rest.
My invention . . .
anchors
on Isabel.
Shakespeare

An′chor

,
Noun.
[OE.
anker
,
ancre
, AS.
ancra
, fr. L.
anachoreta
. See
Anchoret
.]
An anchoret.
[Obs.]
Shak.

Webster 1828 Edition

Anchor

AN'CHOR

,
Noun.
[L. anchora; Gr.]
1.
An iron instrument for holding a ship or other vessel at rest in water. It is a strong shank, with a ring at one end, to which a cable may be fastened; and with two arms and flukes at the other end, forming a suitable angle with the shank to enter the ground.
In seamen's language, the anchor comes home, when it is dislodged from its bed, so as to drag by the violence of the wind, sea or current.
Foul anchor is when the anchor hooks or is entangled with another anchor, or with a wreck or cable, or when the slack cable is entangled.
The anchor a cock bill, is when it is suspended perpendicularly from the cat head, ready to be let go.
The anchor a peek, is when it is drawn in so tight as to bring the ship directly over it.
The anchor is a trip, or a weigh, when it is just drawn out of the ground, in a perpendicular direction, either by the cable or the buoy-rope.
To back an anchor is to lay down a small anchor ahead of that by which the ship rides, with the cable fastened to the crown of the latter to prevent its coming home.
At anchor is when a ship rides by her anchor. Hence, to lie or ride at anchor.
To cast anchor, or to anchor, is to let go an anchor, to keep a ship at rest.
To weigh anchor is to heave or raise the anchor out of the ground.
Anchors are of different sizes. The principal, and that on which most dependence is placed, is the sheet anchor. Then come the best bower, the small bower, the space anchor, the stream anchor, and the kedge anchor, which is the smallest.
2.
In a figurative sense, that which gives stability or security; that on which we place dependence for safety.
Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast. Heb. 6.
3.
In architecture, anchors are carved work, somewhat resembling an anchor. It is commonly a part of the ornaments of the boultins of capitals in the Tuscan, Doric and Ionic orders, and on the moldings of cornices.
In heraldry, anchors are emblems of hope.

AN'CHOR

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To place at anchor; to moor; as to anchor a ship.
2.
To fix or fasten on; to fix in a stable condition

AN'CHOR

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To cast anchor; to come to anchor; as, our ship anchored off the isle of Wight.
2.
To stop; to fix or rest on.

Definition 2024

anchor

anchor

English

An anchor (nautical).

Alternative forms

Noun

anchor ‎(plural anchors)

  1. (nautical) A tool used to moor a vessel to the bottom of a sea or river to resist movement.
    • 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 10, in Mr. Pratt's Patients:
      Men that I knew around Wapatomac didn't wear high, shiny plug hats, nor yeller spring overcoats, nor carry canes with ivory heads as big as a catboat's anchor, as you might say.
  2. (nautical) An iron device so shaped as to grip the bottom and hold a vessel at her berth by the chain or rope attached. (FM 55-501).
  3. (nautical) The combined anchoring gear (anchor, rode, and fittings such as bitts, cat, and windlass.)
  4. Any instrument serving a purpose like that of a ship's anchor, such as an arrangement of timber to hold a dam fast; a device to hold the end of a bridge cable etc.; or a device used in metalworking to hold the core of a mould in place.
  5. (Internet) A marked point in a document that can be the target of a hyperlink.
  6. (television) An anchorman or anchorwoman.
  7. (athletics) The final runner in a relay race.
  8. (archery) A point that is touched by the draw hand or string when the bow is fully drawn and ready to shoot.
  9. (economics) A superstore or other facility that serves as a focus to bring customers into an area.
    • 2006, Planning: For the Natural and Built Environment (issues 1650-1666, page 15)
      Supermarkets have also had to adjust. Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda have put a much greater emphasis on developing smaller high street stores or becoming anchors for mixed-used regeneration schemes […]
  10. (figuratively) That which gives stability or security.
    • Bible, Hebrews vi. 19
      which hope we have as an anchor of the soul
  11. (architecture) A metal tie holding adjoining parts of a building together.
  12. (architecture) Carved work, somewhat resembling an anchor or arrowhead; part of the ornaments of certain mouldings. It is seen in the echinus, or egg-and-anchor (called also egg-and-dart, egg-and-tongue) ornament.
  13. One of the anchor-shaped spicules of certain sponges.
  14. One of the calcareous spinules of certain holothurians, as in species of Synapta.

Usage notes

Formerly a vessel would differentiate amongst the anchors carried as waist anchor, best bower, bower, stream and kedge anchors, depending on purpose and, to a great extent, on mass and size of the anchor. Modern usage is storm anchor for the heaviest anchor with the longest rode, best bower or simply bower for the most commonly used anchor deployed from the bow, and stream or lunch hook for a small, light anchor used for temporary moorage and often deployed from the stern.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

anchor ‎(third-person singular simple present anchors, present participle anchoring, simple past and past participle anchored)

  1. To hold an object, especially a ship or a boat to a fixed point.
  2. To cast anchor; to come to anchor.
    Our ship (or the captain) anchored in the stream.
  3. To stop; to fix or rest.
    • Shakespeare
      My invention […] anchors on Isabel.
  4. To provide emotional stability for a person in distress.
  5. To perform as an anchorman.

Translations

Anagrams

Asturian

Etymology

Compare anchu.

Noun

anchor m ‎(plural anchors)

  1. width

Synonyms

Related terms

Irish

Etymology

From an- ‎(“bad, unnatural”) +‎ cor ‎(“turn”) (compare droch-chor ‎(“bad turn; unfortunate happening, ill plight”)).

Noun

anchor m ‎(genitive singular anchoir)

  1. ill-treatment

Declension

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical Eclipsis with h-prothesis with t-prothesis
anchor n-anchor hanchor t-anchor
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

Etymology

From Middle English anchor, from Old English ancor, ancra, from Latin ancora, from (or cognate with) Ancient Greek ἄγκυρα ‎(ánkura), from Proto-Indo-European *ang- ‎(“corner, hirn”). The modern spelling is a sixteenth-century modification to better represent the Latin misspelling anchora. Related to Dutch anker ‎(“anchor”).

The verb comes from Middle English anker, probably from Middle Dutch verb of anker, from Old French ancrer, from Latin ancora.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈæŋ.kə/
  • (US) enPR: ăngʹkər, IPA(key): /ˈæŋ.kɚ/
  • (US, also) IPA(key): /ˈeɪŋ.kɚ/
  • Rhymes: -æŋkə(r)

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