I. ˈaŋkə(r), ˈaiŋ- noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English anker, ancre, from Old English ancer, ancor, from Latin ancora, anchora, from Greek ankyra; akin to Greek ankos bend, hollow, glen — more at angle
1.
a. : a device usually of metal (as steel) attached to a ship or boat by a cable and cast overboard to hold the vessel in a particular place by means of a fluke that digs into the bottom
the trawler dropped anchor in the inner harbor
— see stock I 6a
b. : any device (as a stone or piece of concrete) used in the manner of an anchor to hold a boat in place
2. : a reliable support (as in danger) : a source of confidence
we have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul — Heb 6:19 (Revised Standard Version)
3. : something that serves to hold an object firmly:
a. : a contrivance to hold the end of a bridge cable
b. : an arrangement of timber for holding a dam fast
c. : an escapement piece on which the pallets of a timepiece are formed or to which they are attached
d. : chaplet 4
e.
(1) : a device (as a metal tie) for giving stability to one part of a structure by making it fast to another (as a beam to a wall, one wall to another, or a stone facing to rough masonry behind it)
(2) : a tie rod with visible ends, decorated or plain
f. : the loop of a rope used by mountain climbers that is made fast to some fixed object (as a piton or tree)
g. : a boss to which one end of each brake shoe in an internal brake is pivoted to prevent its being dragged around by the drum
4. : an object shaped like a ship's anchor: as
a. : the dart an egg-and-dart molding
b. : spicule
the anchors in certain holothurians
5.
a. : the rear man on either side in a tug-of-war contest
b. or anchor man : the member of a team who competes last
the anchor on a relay team
the anchor of a bowling team
•
- at anchor
[s]anchor.jpg[/s] [
anchor 1: A yachtsman's: 1 ring, 2 stock, 3 shank, 4 bill, 5 fluke, 6 arm, 7 throat, 8 crown; B grapnel; C mushroom
]
II. verb
( anchored ; anchored ; anchoring -k(ə)riŋ ; anchors )
Etymology: Middle English ancren, probably from anker, ancre, n.
transitive verb
1. : to hold in place in the water by an anchor
anchor a dinghy with a grapnel
— compare moor 1
2. : to secure firmly : fasten in a stable condition : fix
anchor a post in concrete
anchor the roof of a house
anchor papers on a desk by a paperweight
the railroad car on the siding was anchored when the hand brakes were set
he was anchored to his home
3. : to serve or act as an anchor for
the loveliness of the Loire Valley might fail to anchor the attention of the hurried traveler — Isolde Farrell
anchored the Japanese women's relay team — Time
4. psychology : to relate to a point or frame of reference (as to a person, a situation, an object, or a conceptual scheme)
intransitive verb
1. : to cast anchor : come to anchor
the ship anchored in the stream
2. : to become fixed : fix , rest , stop
his attention anchors on his friend
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English anker, ancre, from Old English ancor, ancra, from Old Irish anchara, from Late Latin anachoreta — more at anchorite
obsolete : anchorite , hermit
IV. noun
( -s )
obsolete : anker
V. noun
1. : an anchorman or anchorwoman
2. : a large store that attracts customers and other businesses to a shopping center or mall
VI. transitive verb
: to act or serve as anchor for
anchor the evening news