Anchor


any of various devices dropped by a chain, cable, or rope to the bottom of a body of water for preventing or restricting the motion of a vessel or other floating object, typically having broad, hooklike arms that bury themselves in the bottom to provide a firm hold.
any similar device for holding fast or checking motion:
an anchor of stones.
any device for securing a suspension or cantilever bridge at either end.
any of various devices, as a metal tie, for binding one part of a structure to another.
a person or thing that can be relied on for support, stability, or security; mainstay:
Hope was his only anchor.
Radio and Television. a person who is the main broadcaster on a program of news, sports, etc., and who usually also serves as coordinator of all participating broadcasters during the program; anchorman or anchorwoman; anchorperson.
Television. a program that attracts many viewers who are likely to stay tuned to the network for the programs that follow.
a well-known store, especially a department store, that attracts customers to the shopping center in which it is located.
Slang. automotive brakes.
Military. a key position in defense lines.
Also, anchorman. Sports.

the person on a team, especially a relay team, who competes last.
the person farthest to the rear on a tug-of-war team.

to hold fast by an anchor.
to fix or fasten; affix firmly:
The button was anchored to the cloth with heavy thread.
to act or serve as an anchor for:
He anchored the evening news.
to drop anchor; lie or ride at anchor:
The ship anchored at dawn.
to keep hold or be firmly fixed:
The insect anchored fast to its prey.
Sports, Radio and Television. to act or serve as an anchor.
at anchor, held in place by an anchor:
The luxury liner is at anchor in the harbor.
drag anchor, (of a vessel) to move with a current or wind because an anchor has failed to hold.
drop anchor, to anchor a vessel:
They dropped anchor in a bay to escape the storm.
weigh anchor, to raise the anchor:
We will weigh anchor at dawn.
Contemporary Examples

Those pushing the change have a name for Katherine and her cohort: “anchor babies.”
Immigration’s New Poster Child Terry Greene Sterling June 11, 2010

So Cruz had it whether he wanted it or not—and he could, in fact, have been considered a Canadian anchor baby.
Ted Cruz’s Canadian Panic Michelle Cottle December 30, 2013

The revered CBS anchor did smack for a report when he worked for a radio station in Houston in the 1950s.
Five Journalists Who Did Drugs for Work Emily Shire June 3, 2014

Dan Rather is anchor and managing editor of HDNet’s Dan Rather Reports.
Where’s The Outrage? Dan Rather February 11, 2009

Dylan Ratigan is anchor and co-creator of CNBC’s Fast Money.
Nationalization Now Dylan Ratigan February 4, 2009

Historical Examples

Thus they lay, as it were, at anchor in the lee of this extemporised breakwater.
The Ocean and its Wonders R.M. Ballantyne

They saw an American ship riding at anchor a mile or more from shore.
Brave and Bold Horatio Alger

Priscilla, on her knees under the foresail, tugged at the anchor rope.
Priscilla’s Spies George A. Birmingham

This was a bad beginning, and by the time we reached a tavern, I was ready to anchor.
Ned Myers James Fenimore Cooper

Too late, he saw that the boat lying at anchor was not an accident.
Sinister Paradise Robert Moore Williams

noun
any of several devices, usually of steel, attached to a vessel by a cable and dropped overboard so as to grip the bottom and restrict the vessel’s movement
an object used to hold something else firmly in place: the rock provided an anchor for the rope
a source of stability or security: religion was his anchor

a metal cramp, bolt, or similar fitting, esp one used to make a connection to masonry
(as modifier): anchor bolt, anchor plate

the rear person in a tug-of-war team
short for anchorman, anchorwoman

at anchor, (of a vessel) anchored
cast anchor, come to anchor, drop anchor, to anchor a vessel
drag anchor, See drag (sense 13)
ride at anchor, to be anchored
weigh anchor, to raise a vessel’s anchor or (of a vessel) to have its anchor raised in preparation for departure
verb
to use an anchor to hold (a vessel) in one place
to fasten or be fastened securely; fix or become fixed firmly
(transitive) (radio, television) to act as an anchorman on
n.

Old English ancor, borrowed 9c. from Latin ancora “anchor,” from or cognate with Greek ankyra “anchor, hook” (see ankle). A very early borrowing and said to be the only Latin nautical term used in the Germanic languages. The -ch- form emerged late 16c., a pedantic imitation of a corrupt spelling of the Latin word. The figurative sense of “that which gives stability or security” is from late 14c. Meaning “host or presenter of a TV or radio program” is from 1965, short for anchorman.
v.

c.1200, from anchor (n.). Related: Anchored; anchoring.

hypertext link

From Acts 27:29, 30, 40, it would appear that the Roman vessels carried several anchors, which were attached to the stern as well as to the prow. The Roman anchor, like the modern one, had two teeth or flukes. In Heb. 6:19 the word is used metaphorically for that which supports or keeps one steadfast in the time of trial or of doubt. It is an emblem of hope. “If you fear, Put all your trust in God: that anchor holds.”

Read Also:

  • Anchor ball

    a day shape consisting of a black ball not less than 2 feet (0.6 meters) in diameter, displayed in the fore rigging of a vessel at anchor.

  • Anchor bed

    a sloping, slightly projecting platform on the forecastle of a ship, for supporting an anchor when not in use.

  • Anchor bell

    a bell rung in foggy weather by a vessel at anchor.

  • Anchor bend

    . a knot made by taking a round turn on the object to which the rope is to be fastened, passing the end of the rope around the standing part and under the round turn, and securing the end. noun a knot used to fasten a rope to an anchor, ring, or spar

  • Anchor bolt

    any of several kinds of bolts inserted and fixed in masonry as a hold for timbers, shelves, etc. Historical Examples The forms were removed by divers who loosened the anchor bolt wedges. Concrete Construction Halbert P. Gillette The trouble is that that would not have been too good for the anchor bolt. Thin Edge Gordon […]


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