anchor

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A heavy metal object dropped from a boat to stop it from moving.

   The sailors dropped the anchor as soon as they reached the bay.

2. 2
   verb

   To stop a boat from moving by using an anchor.

   We anchored the boat just off the small island.

3. 3
   verb

   To fix something firmly so that it cannot move.

   They anchored the lamppost in concrete.

4. 4
   noun

   A person who presents a news programme on television or radio.

   The news anchor introduced the report from the war zone.

5. 5
   noun

   A person or thing that gives stability and support.

   For many people, family is an anchor in difficult times.

Common collocations

• weigh anchor Verb + noun

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂enk-der.? Ancient Greek ᾰ̓́γκῡρᾰ (ắnkūră)bor.? Latin ancorabor. Proto-Germanic *ankurô Proto-West Germanic *ankurō Old English ancor Middle English anker English anchor From Middle English anker, from Old English ancor, ancra, from Latin ancora, from (or cognate with) Ancient Greek ἄγκυρα (ánkura). The modern form is a sixteenth-century modification after the Medieval Latin spelling anchora. Doublet of ancora, anker, angora, and Ankara.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images